Dalamar had searched for hours looking for someone who could revive Caramon. BUt none would do it for no cost - and none were willing to create a new price to suit the mercenary.

Dalamar stands in a magic shop. A small, quant shop with wooden floors that creak under each step. An aged Elf sits behind the store desk reading a book, casually glancing up at Dalamar in the healing and restoration section, standing before a Pheonix Elixir. A potion - that reads "Will rejeuvenate a life lost - 1 million credits".

Dalamar had two choices. Leave it behind, or take it with him. Either way he didn't have the money...
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Fri 11 May 2007.

   After hours of fruitless searching, Dalamar was prepared to take more extreme measures.  But doing so would require him to lighten his load.  So he purchased a large trunk in which to carry the body of his brother to a safe location.  He walked to a darkened alley, ensuring he and his luggage was enshrouded by his mystic cloak.  Once out of sight, he made a final check of the area to ensure he was not being watched.  He then levitated an iron storm drain cover from its position over the sewer.  Caramon's trunk was then lowered gently into the ground and left on a dry ledge several feet underground.  The drain cover was replaced and Dalamar went about the next phase of his plan.

   Before entering the shop with the pheonix elixir, Dalamar cast a couple minor spells upon himself - see aura and levitation.  It would serve him well to be aware of his surroundings once inside.  With new eyes, he gazed upon the shopkeeper, hoping to identify the level of threat the old elf might pose.  Despite the enchantment of levitation, Dalamar is not currently levitated at the moment.  He will wait for the ideal time before increasing his altitude and escaping with what he has come for.

   But for now, Dalamar hopes to read the aura of the old elf...

The elf is a powerful mage of high experience.

Meanwhile...

Arven is in hot pursuit by Tolkeen forces.

Meanwhile-while...

The Madness is deep in thought - barely noticing the sounds of the vehicles approaching up from behind him on the road from Tolkeen to Freehold. It is the familiar voice of the weapons dealer that disturbs his pondering...

Zed : "Hey buddy? You want a job?"

   Dalamar inspects the other potions along the shelves, pretending to be looking for something specific.  Eventually he comes upon what he is looking for - a relatively cheap potion valued at around 500 credits.  He bumps it, apparently by accident, and it falls to the hard wood floor, shattering.  Dalamar instantly looks over at the elven shopkeeper with an expression of guilt.  "I'm terribly sorry sir!"  Dalamar waits for a reaction.

The elf stands tall behind the counter and replies : "I can't spend apologies..."

The elven shop keeper is obviously waiting for Dalamar to offer to pay for the Antidote Potion.

   "Of course not, I would never presume... but I have fallen upon hard times.  My cash flow of late has reduced to a trickle.  Might I offer you an exchange of services in order to reimburse you?  I've worked in a small magic shop before.  I have experience and don't mind remedial tasks..."  Dalamar's normal appearance is rather ragged and so he tries to improve by brushing his black hair from his eyes and straightening his clothes.

He replies simply with "No"

Dalamar then feels a cold breeze on the back of his neck and ears... to turn quickly will reveal nothing...

A few books at the front of the shop displayed in a window vibrate - in some most definitely supernatural way.

   "I see.  What is your shop's policy in this situation?  Surely the war has brought hard times upon many more than just myself.  Can we not reach some kind of agreement?"  Dalamar looks over his shoulder at the vibrating books, appearing slightly nervous when he looks back at the shopkeeper.  But he does appear sincere.

"Well, I do not require the services of a clumsy human - assuming clumsiness was the cause of the accident. Tell me - what would a mercenary be doing in a shop such as this - when he cannot even afford an antidote potion. You seem to have several instruments of war - I suppose I could accept trade..."

   I actually just resigned from my position as mercenary for the war effort.  I won't go into the details as I'm sure you have better things to do.  Perhaps this would satisfy my debt to you?"  Dalamar pushes back one side of his black cloak to reveal an Uzi held snuggly in a holster on his belt.  He doesn't touch it with his hand however - not wanting to alarm the elder mage.  "It is worth nearly twice your potion and to be honest, I've come to rely more upon my magic than conventional weapons.  I'm sure you could still make a profit though."

OOC - I checked the main book and an Uzi sells for 900 credits.

Arven is flying just over the heads of normal sized humanoids at the maximum speed allowed him by the Fly as an Eagle spell. Seeing how those in pursuit that are able to see the invisible are edging ever closer to him he decides to try one more deceptive tactic before resorting to violence. While he is of course more comfortable with violence he also realizes that killing or maiming many more Tolkeenites will ensure that a manhunt continues on for him after he escapes the city. He lets the pursuers get closer and then cuts hard in between two tall buildings. Using his Mystic Portal Talisman again he opens a portal on the wall and uses it to teleport into an alleyway he just passed about a block back. He immediately cancels the spell once through of course. His hope is that those chasing him will continue on forward rather than turning back to where they just passed. Arven will stay low and fly parallel route to the one he had been but still makes his way towards the western edge of the city.

Madness looks to see Zed. "Funny, I just came from one of those..." He then looks off into the sky as if listening to a thought. "The lady says yes." He hops into Zeds vehicle before even hearing the terms, seeming quite confident that this is what something had intended for him.

Zed is driving a military truck. The back is full of crates, weapons, and ammunition - along with an old style SAMAS suit.

The cab has three seats and a beautiful Cyber Knight moves closer to Zed in the middle seat to allow Madness room.

A hum-V follows, along with 2 hovercycles and a Chopper-Road Boss Motorcycle piloted by a massive Cyborg.

They are headed North East currently on route towards Freehold - The City of Dragons.

With a blank expression on his face Madness turns to notice the Cyber Knight. "Oh, hello, she's pretty. I don't remember seeing her in your shop." His acknowledgement of her in the third person could be considered rude, but his childish neutrality does not seem to indicate any arrogance or ill intent.

He will ride on with the group, not pressing Zed for the detail of the mission, but letting the ride unfold as it may.

The elf annoyingly responds to Dalamar "Fine, give me the gun. Consider this a favour. You are lucky I am in a good mood..."

Considering the dry tone of the elf - one would wonder what he would be like if he were in a bad mood...

   "Thank you sir."  Dalamar draws the weapon, quickly pops out the clip and hands the empty uzi to the shopkeeper.  He pockets the magazine and turns to leave.  Perhaps someday when the economics of this region has restored itself, I shall return and make a more proper patronage of your wares."
   And with that, he steps outside, content with the results of his investigation.

   Dalamar will start walking down the street, but he is looking around for an inn or motel with a window within view of the magic shop.  If one can be found, Dalamar will saunter over and enter the front door.

Such an inn is found. A badly scarred greot hunter in a hover wheel chair hovers behind the desk.

He looks up at Dalamar and asks rather bluntly "room?"

   "One facing the street."  Dalamar states flatly, his patience wearing thin.  He inspects the interior of the building, looking for anything of note, such as security cameras or suspicious-looking loiterers.

There are plenty of security cameras as well as several standard Tolkeen wards and mystic symbols. (I would assume Tolkeen would have special security companies provide magical security).

The Greot hovers his way to a room - facing the street - and opens the door. Afterwards he hands Dalamar a card key - with a shaky unstable hand. Not of nervousness - the alien may be old, or perhaps other effects from whatever cost him his legs.

(Please subtract 40 credits.)

The other tenants spotted are other mercenaries and travelers - most rooms are labeled as occupied.

   Dalamar steps into his room after completing the transaction with the impaired Greot.  He shuts the door and walks over to the window, casually peering out into the street and looking over to the front of the magic shop.  His face is like stone - there is no place for pleasure in this act.

   He shuts the curtains if there are any available, or hangs his old black cloak over the window if necessary.  Then he walks briskly out into the corridor and towards the exit of the inn.  He waves pleasantly to the Greot before stepping out into the street and hopping on his hovercycle.

   Dalamar knows there isn't much time left.  He decides to forgoe navigating the winding streets of Tolkeen and uses the thrusters of his bike to simply hop over the buildings to the next street, and the next.  The dark line walker's cloak of shadows billows out behind him as he soars through the air.  He's on a rather simple shopping trip but the look in his face does little to hide the urgency of his goal.

   Dalamar's first stop is an armour shop - any armour shop.  He's looking for a simple suit of full body armour, something cheap that includes a face mask, gloves, and boots.
   The second item on his list is a simple hooded cloak.  He doesn't really care about the colour, but if something drab is available, he'll pick it up.
   The third item to acquire will be a magic scroll of telekinesis.

   After paying for all of these objects, Dalamar will return to his motel room to make the final preparations...

   Dalamar attaches all the armour components to each other in order to construct a sort of dummy.  The arms and legs flop about as if they contained a dead body, but the armour definitely makes a humanoid shape.  Dalamar then places the hooded cloak on the armour, laying the entire thing down on the bed in his room.  Then he takes out his JA-11 laser rifle and slings the strap over the shoulder of the armour and lets the weapon lay across the chest of the prone suit of armour.

   The entire game of dress-up shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.  When he's finished, Dalamar inspects his work to ensure all the clasps and buckles of the armour are secure and that the cloak is positioned properly.

   "Caramon..."  Dalamar talks to the suit of armour as if it were his brother.  "One way or another, I shall be seeing you again very shortly."

OOC - stopping here to ensure the GM approves all the above actions.

OOC - GM approval received.

   Dalamar tucks his strange puppet into a fetal position and wraps his old black cloak around it, forming a sort of sack.  With the butt of his JA-11 and a gauntletted hand hanging out from an opening in the cloak, Dalamar hefts it over one shoulder and starts on his way out of the room and back out into the street.  He ignores any strange looks the Greot or other patrons might give him and he proceeds out the door.
   Dalamar mounts his hovercycle and pilots it up into the air and then over the buildings on the same side of the street as the motel - across from the magic shop.  He dismounts his hovercycle on the roof of the building directly across from the magic shop.  he sets the cloak down and drags out the suit of armour.  Quickly, he chants the words to a spell of levitation, targetting the helmet.  The armour quickly rises to its feet as Dalamar ensures the boots of the armour remain in contact with the surface of the roof.  Then he places the hands of the armour on the JA-11 laser rifle as if the empty armour was going to wield the weapon and he casts carpet of adhesion upon the rifle.  Dalamar then chants the words to the spell telekinesis upon the rifle and it jumps to life.  With the hands, and by extension the arms, attached with the adhesion spell Dalamar's puppet is starting to look very lifelike.  The final touch is the sudden appearance of a glowing light from within the helmet as Dalamar activates a ley line observation ball.

   Dalamar then casts levitation upon himself and hops back onto the hovercycle.  He makes a single jet-assisted leap from the roof of the building to the street level, landing off to the side of the magic shop so that he is not seen by the shopkeeper at the desk within.  He parks the hovercycle in an alley and then runs out to the side of the magic shop, activating the power of his shadow cloak.  He vanishes suddenly as he enters the shadow of a building where he concentrates on the spells he has active.

   Now, using telekinesis to aim the rifle and the observation ball to see, Dalamar begins firing the weapon from the roof top at the store.  Targetting the rifle in this manner sacrifices much accuracy.  But all that is needed is to blast through the windows, and cause a lot of racket.

   After fifteen shots, Dalamar will cease fire and let the smoke and dust begin to clear.  He will cast carpet of adhesion upon his own left arm and hand before running into the shop concealed by his cloak.  He will first cast an energy field between the location of the potion he is after and the shopkeeper's desk - or directly around the shopkeeper if he is visible.  Dalamar will run straight for the potion and grab at it with his 'adhesioned' hand, making a point of sweeping his arm across any other potions on the shelf.  Hopefully he can score a few extra items out of this venture.

   When he has what he came for he will turn to run back to his hovercycle.  He will get aboard and fly away.  His first destination will simply be the other side of town, going to a populated area to ditch the hovercycle and make his way to Caramon on foot.  He will also stick his 'adhesioned' arm into his bag and deactivate the spell, releasing all the potions.

edit: spelling and grammar
This message was last edited by the player at 11:17, Fri 25 May 2007.

Several people watch as Dalamar lands on the building across the street - a couple stop what they were doing to watch this event unfold.

The people jump out of his way and just watch or comment amongst themselves as Dalamar ducks into an alleyway.

The rifle fires 15 times in less than 5 seconds - Dalamar comes OUT OF THE SHADOWS to enter the building through the shattered window. Hundreds of people watch him enter, and were the shopkeeper visible he would see Dalamar as well.

Dalamar can instantly feel something supernatural and evil attacking his mind - trying to take control. Dalamar loses control over his telekinesis and levitation, as a faint growl is heard and a massive burst of telekinetic energy literally explodes the "ghost armour" to pieces raining down on the street.

He manages to steal a half dozen potions in total. He is suddenly thrown into the wall - and several shelves of other potions and trinkets. SHattering the shelves and items, Dalamar lets out a grunt of pain as the wind is knocked from his lungs. He falls on the ground on his face. One of the potions in his bag is obviously shattered and a foul smelling odour accompanies the pool of liquid leaking from Dalamars face and dripping from his beard.

He picks himself back up and makes for his bike.

A Cyber Knight stands between Dalamar and his transportation. His psi-sword is drawn, and Dalamar can feel himself shrinking smaller at an allarming rate... damn potion...

"Turn in what you have stolen and surrender yourself - and we can do this peacefully. I am a Cyber Knight, and you will not get away."

Dalamar has shrunk at least 2 feet in height within a few seconds - casuing the Cyber Knight to speculate.

"Hey! None of your magic!

The Cyber Knight charges forward at Dalamar who now has to worry about how small he is going to get, and a Cyber Knight - not to mention whatever it was that attacked him in the store...

Until a massive creature lands on the charging hero...

Arven stands tall with one foot on the crushed and leaking head of the cyber knight, the other on the ground.

Dalamars' hovercycle is quickly becoming a 20 minute walk away...

The appearance of Arven could be worse than the Cyber Knight however - he did just gun down Magnet Man recently...

   Dalamar never panicks.  He's not even sure if he is capable of such an emotion.  He was certainly startled by his shrinking and by the sudden appearance of Arven.  But he's still a very long way from giving up.
   Dalamar will duck into the nearest shadow to conceal himself if possible.  If not, he will be ready to dodge a stomping attack from the mad rahu man before him.  He levitates a fraction of an inch off the ground and casts a spell of carpet of adhesion on himself.  Then suddenly, a ball of light and energy appears within reach of his shrunken arms and he grabs on to its surface.
   The ley line observation ball is normally intended as a means of espionage - not transportation.  But at his current size Dalamar doesn't plan on wasting half an hour walking several feet to his hovercycle.  The glowing sphere travels at a speedy rate of forty-four feet per second and Dalamar zips up into the air.  When he is high enough, he will dart out of line of sight from Arven and over the roof of the magic shop.  He will make his way towards his brother's resting place along with his stolen collection of shrunken potions.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:21, Sat 26 May 2007.

Arven laughs as he watches the Dalamar continue to shrink. "Your bro dying musta made you plumb loco boy." Arven snatches the "little" man using as many hands as he needs to and then turns himself and Dalamar invisible using the last charge on his Invisibility Superior amulet. "Looks like were both fugitives so lets get the fuck on outta here!" The invisible Rahu-Man takes to the air once again flying out of town.

   Mystically adhered to the surface of his own ley line observation ball, the shrunken Dalamar manages to dodge one of the rahu-man's massive paws.  But he is caught by another a moment later before he can get out of range.
   After hearing Arven's words, Dalamar reconsiders his options.  He was under the impression that Arven's intentions could possibly have been dangerous to him.  It would seem that the gunslinger wasn't so callous afterall.  "Arven!" Dalamar shouts to be heard with his currently tiny voice.  "I will not leave Tolkeen without my brother!  I can save him now!"

"The more the fuckin merrier." Arven says as he flies up into the air and around the corner of the building as he weaves in and out of alleyways trying to throw off any pursuit. "So where the hell am I flyin to anyhow?"

   Dalamar directs the gunslinger to the darkened alley where the storm drain conceals his brother's resting place.  He considered leading the rahu-man somewhere else and ditching him, but in his current state, he couldn't afford to lose the help.  He didn't know yet whether this shrinking potion would last a few minutes, hours, or days.  And he was unlikely to gain much help from any other magic shop in town.  His face would likely be on the daily news broadcasts shortly.
   "Lift up the storm drain, if you could."
   Dalamar will raise the case containing what's left of his brother's corpse himself with the use of another levitation spell.  When the object is floating a few feet in the air above the hole, Dalamar speaks again.  "Just set it down on the ground over there and open the lid.  Remove his body and lay it down on the ground."

   Dalamar wasn't about to let Arven administer the potion.  Not only was he a giant, but the potion was now shrunken along with the rest of his possessions.  The gunslinger's dexterity might be very high, but this was a family matter.
   The dark mage read the instructions on the vial one last time to ensure he was missing nothing and then he moved to revive his dearly departed sibling...

Arven does as Dalamar requests looking around nervously and hoping the mage isn't completely out of his mind. The Rahu-Man keeps a look out as the man administers the potion to his brother.

Dalamar pours the drink down Caramons' throat - there is no visible effect for several minutes - until he coughs.

Followed by several more - and finally he opens his eyes, immediately yelling at the top of his lungs in utter terror. He looks completely terrified as he looks up at Arven - and has not even noticed Dalamar as of yet.

Caramons' legs are still missing - but being bionic before, will only require a trip to a chop shop for some new ones.

"Wh... where am I... what is happening...?"

   Dalamar's eyes dart to the alleyway's entrance when Caramon screams - concerned that they might be found by the authorities.  He trusts Arven to be ready for that eventuality though.  The gunslinger had already proven far more resourceful than he'd thought possible for Arven.  Dalamar turns back to his brother.
   The dark mage was standing on the ground just beside his brother's head in order to reach his mouth and pour in the elixir.  He takes several steps back as Caramon regains consciousness.
   "Brother, I am here.  Afflicted by some unfriendly magic, but I am here.  You are safe now.  We just have to get you back to a chop shop and fix the damage to your lower extremities.  How do you feel?"

'Enjoying Hell were ya?" Arven asks sardonically.

Caramon looks down at where his legs should be, then up at Arven, and then his brother. Caramon smiles like a boy who has been away from home too long.

"I feel..... okay.... alive.... it hurt less this time.... the last time they were eaten by a tyrannosaurus... how will I get to a chop shop?  We will likley have to take a cyber-doc hostage *Again* I have no money..."

   "I have money, brother.  The only problem now is my current size... aquiring the magic to revive you resulted in... this."  And then almost as if on queue, Dalamar's height suddenly started to increase.  He was as surprised as his companions.  It wasn't such a fast restoral, but it was steady.  He stepped back from his brother so as not to hurt him.  After several seconds, Dalamar was back to his old self.  He looked down at his hands and then at the ground. "I had feared the potion might have been a days-long curse.  This will make things easier.  Arven, can you help by carrying him?  We need to find a less reputable chop shop.  Caramon, my face and Arven's will likely appear on the local news broadcasts before long."

Arvens' eyes had already wandered to a giant television screen on the outside of a mercenary recruitment station. At first it was a half naked human female with a gun offering the standards of recruiting mercenaries - and soon enough Arvens' face takes up the top right corner of the screen. Wanted for Attempted Murder of a Tolkeen Soldier - Kill on sight. "Arven The Anihilator" is a 12 foot tall Rahu Man witha bad attitude and shit for brains. He has four arms and is armed to the teeth. 100 000 credit bounty for the head of Arven - see "Silvermasque" Pluto Company, 3rd Platoon for payment.

   Dalamar notices Arven's distraction and follows his eye-line up to the screen.  "Arven, get away from the alley-way entrance and take cover back here!  I expected us to be wanted for the robbery of the magic shop.  You must have really pissed off that tiger-borg."

"That Chickenshit, cuntfaced assucking...." Arvens profane tirade actually worsens and carries on for a good solid 60 seconds before ending with what sounds like a solemn oath. "I swear by everything I hold dear I will gun that donkey molesting borg down like a the ratfink he is. Arven looks down at Caramon and says. I could carry him but that would get both of us shot to shit now. I gotta better idea why dont me and stubby hide back here and you can go steal us a car or hovercar. Or shit buy one from somebody I got credits. I can use my amulet and turn into a human for awhile but I cant carry all my shit or your brother when I do. Only way I can make it out of the city now is to sneak out one way or another and I am all out of invisibility on this damn amulet."

   "I guess there is little choice.  Arven, will your metamorphosis magic allow you to fit into a hovercar?"
   Dalamar begins running several scenarios through his head, plotting the escape route with the least chance of detection.  If Silvermasque is funding a mission to capture Arven, the borg has likely posted everything he knows about his target.  Which means that as tough as Arven is, his pursuers are likely to be prepared.

   "I will fetch us a car.  Arven, do you have a weapon my brother can carry?  Even criplled as he is right now, I know his marksmanship could rival your own."

Caramons' stare has not left the giant screen.

"Brother..." he says calmly as he nods hi head indicating he should look again.

Dalamar looks to see his own face in place of Arvens'.

Wanted for robbing a magic shop - kill on sight. "Dalamar" is a human ley line walker. He has spells to help himself hide - like a coward. 35 000 credit bounty for the head of Dalamar - see "Lyte" of Lyte's Trinkets.

Arven grins at the billboard. "We are startin to have the makins of a right proper gang. If we can get nubby some fuckin legs we should be ready to fuck some shit up. You guys got any life goals or anything I need to know about? Arven makes it sound like he fully intends to hang around for awhile.'Oh yeah the amulet... It is the real deal and lasts about three hours. Morphs me into a normal human with two arms and proper size and all. I spose I can change my face up ." Arven pops one of his Naruni Hand Cannons from its holdout holster and hands it over to Caramon. The act is obviously not done lightly and though he doesn't say anything the look he gives the legless man implies alot.

The Rahu-Man removes the other three setting them gingerly atop his satchel on the ground along with the now infamous Eyelor Staff followed by fighting knives and boot daggers and a TK-Sawed off shotgun. He then shrugs his chest plate and E-Clip laden force field plcing them in the pile. His body starts shrinking down into a normal human with blonde hair and different but similar features to Arvens. Most noticeably are his lack of two extra arms and metal teeth are replaced with normal ones. He looks rather ridiculous wearing a giant sized poncho and boots that come up past his knees. Stepping right out of the boots his trousers and underwear fall off. Leaving the poncho on for the time being he tries to tie a belt around it making something that looks more like a dress than anything else. Covering up his small pile with the giant sized Shadow Cloak he purchased earlier he pulls some garbage cans over and dumps them atop it. Sitting down against the wall he helps Caramon over so they can sit and wait.

"If you carjack somebody make sure to bring em' with so I can get their clothes. We can then kill the motherfucker or pay em' off I have stopped givin a shit as of late. Later on we can talk some business but first lets get the fuck outta dodge."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:40, Mon 11 June 2007.

   Dalamar glances up at the billboard and shrugs as if there is little he can do about it.  "Actually Arven, we will be waiting here a few hours first.  I need to regenerate some of my magic energy. Although here on a nexus that will not take long.  But the sun will set in a few hours and that will bring an abundance of shadows.  My mystic cloak will alllow me to traverse almost the entire city undetected in the shadows.  Did I not notice that you had a larger version of this as well?"

"Yeah it is I bought from that weird ass Kelthos guy. I gotta say fuck that idea though. Sitting around here is just beggin to get executed. You need magic energy just come siphon it outta this fuckin staff or outta me. I got a good bit I suppose. Lotus used to use it all the time. It can't be that hard to get a vehicle. If you don't wanna do it give me some clothes and I will go get one. Zed and his crew just got thrown outta town too. If we hurry up and move out we can catch up with em' Im not sure about joinin up with em or anything but it would be a good cover to travel with till we are in the clear. Plus I dunno if they got a cyberdoc on hand but Zed could damn sure point us to a good one." Arven pulls back the edge of the garbage covered shadow cloak to give Dalamar access to the staff if he wants to drain it. Pulling the sawed off TK shotgun out from under the pile he slips it underneath his oversized serrape. "Damn thing actually fits in my hand now. So you guys are mercs right? What is your going rate anyway?"


OOC:The staff has 100 PPE and Arven has 40 PPE
This message was last edited by the player at 03:44, Tue 12 June 2007.

From his position lying on the ground Caramon replies :

"We have never taken a job like this one before. We are normally headhunters."

   "I'll take care of it, Arven.  Just be ready to pick up my brother."

   Without even a gesture, Dalamar creates another orb of bluish light and energy.  It seems to hover for a moment before suddenly darting upwards into the air.  It rises above the rooftops of the buildings on either side of the alley and then flies out over the street quite a distance away.  Dalamar doesn't wish to give away their position.

   A ley line observation ball shouldn't be too uncommon in a city like Tolkeen.  They could be used by lazy mages for window shopping, security personnel for surveillance or just for casual exploration.  Dalamar's intention however is to find a suitable method of transportation.  Ideally a hovervehicle (car or truck) as the dark mage doesn't actually have any experience pilotting a conventional automobile.  The observation ball can reach out to a radius of 500 feet, so it should be possible to find something.

   If Dalamar spots a vehicle idling anywhere, that will be his first choice.  Second choice will be one that appears to be parked right outside a shop where an owner is likely to return soon.  In either case, the observation ball will dive down for a close look inside the windows before Dalamar makes a move.  Dalamar will then keep it under surveillance from an altitude of a hundred feet or so.

   "I need a gun." he states flatly, expecting one to be placed into his outstretched hand immediately.

   When the weapon is provided to him, Dalamar will concentrate on performing a ley line teleportation.

   If the vehicle is idling and there is no one inside, he will teleport into the driver's seat.  He'll simply drive away, meeting up with Arven and his brother a few moments later.

   If the car is parked, he will teleport into the rear seat (or passenger seat if there is no rear) and conceal himself magically with his shadow cloak.  In this case, he will reveal himself when the owner gets in and has begun to drive away.  Dalamar will state rather bluntly "My colleagues will kill your family if you do not do everything I say.  Now keep driving and do nothing to attract attention.". Dalamar would then direct the driver to the alley where Arven and his brother await.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:53, Wed 13 June 2007.

Arven hands Dalamar the TK sawed-off double barrel then replaces it with one of the more bulky Naruni guns which he now has to weild like the assault rifle it is rather than a large-bore pistol for his normally giant sized hands. Caramon being an expert marksman will no doubt notice the custom grips are not fitt for a human but the guns are expertly crafted and customized.


OOC:TW Hellfire Shotgun
6d6 per single fireball
Range: 300ft
Payload: 2 fireballs require 16ppe or 32isp

A hover-van pulls up to the alley. A terrified woman in the driver seat, and Dalamar in the back seat...

   "Unlock the doors."  Dalamar's voice is deep and cold.

   "Good, now, if you want me to let you go, you only have to do one more thing.  I have a spell that will ensure you don't call the police right away.  It will force you to wait here in this alley for a few minutes.  Nothing more.  If you resist my magic, I will kill you right now.  If you accept the enchantment, you will be safe very soon."

   Dalamar doesn't wait for her to respond.  He just starts chanting the words to his spell.  Even if she does resist, there is a good chance it will work anyway.  The spell is domination and if it is successful, Dalamar will order the woman to leave the van and climb down into the still-open sewer drain where a short while ago, Caramon's corpse was safely hidden.  He'll tell her to keep walking down there until the spell elapses.  If the spell fails, Dalamar will club her repeatedly in the back of the head and neck with the hellfire shotgun on lone from Arven.

   Dalamar will climb into the driver's seat and wait for Arven and Caramon to get inside before speeding away.

OOC duration is 15 minutes, mulitplied by three on a nexus

"Thank ya Maam." Arven says as he begins loading all his shit and Caramon into the the hovervan. Once the woman complies he will strip her off her purse and any obvious communication devices before thanking her politely once again and placing the manhole cover back in place. "Alright lets make like a bananna and split." Arven says laughing at his own corny wisecrack until he notices no mirth whatsoever fromt he brothers. Shrugging his shoulders he sits back. After they drive a few blocks he mentions. "We should probably pick a route out of town that is not very well patrolled."

Leaving the woman in the sewer back in the alley - Dalamar, now returned to normal size drives the hovercar, with a metamorphed Arven in the passenger seat, and a legless Caramon in the back.

All exits seem to be patrolled.

   "Fuck."  Dalamar states flatly when he rounds the corner at the third exit they've tried and finds them all patrolled by Tolkeen security.

   "Alright, we are going to go through this patrol.  Arven, can you drive this vehicle?  Caramon and I will conceal ourselves in the back seat.  Can you take care of talking us through the gate?  They're probably going to wonder why you'd want to venture outside the safety of the city defenses.  I recommend telling them that you have family that have already evacuated and you are driving to meet them after staying behind to take care of things here.  I think we should head west, perhaps to Vosberg, but tell them we're going somewhere else.  Maybe Markeen.  Understood?"

   If Arven agrees (and is able to pilot the hovercar), Dalamar will climb into the back seat, give Arven's shadow cloak to Caramon and then activates it for him.  Dalamar will then activate his own shadow cloak and cast chameleon upon himself.  Even if the sentry peers inside the car with a bright light, the chameleon spell should keep them hidden.

   "Arven."  Dalamar speaks from within his mystic concealment.  "If they detect and question the presence of magic back here, tell them that your brother is a mage and that you are carrying some of his cargo to him.  Caramon, you should activate your chameleon ability in case they see through the cloak."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:09, Fri 29 June 2007.

"Hell yeah I can lets get to it." The Rahu-Man slips behind the wheel of the vehicle and is only slightly awkward in doing so. It is the loss of his other two arms throwing him off balance is all. Hoping Dalamar picked the patrol that looked the least likely to overscrutinize the metamorphed Gunslinger drives up and gets in line. He immediately begins honking his horn, leaning out the window and cursing. If you want to draw attention away from yourself sometimes you can just be obvious. Besides he is still Arven.

"Could we get this goddamn line moving sometime before the Coaltion gets here! Come on fucking move it already! What is this bullshit are we under martial law? I thought thats the kinda shit we are fighting against!"

Caramon says nothing but follows his brothers lead, and becmoes chameleonized himself... without the use of spells.

Soon enough this hovercar is second in line to be inspected by a soldier. From the right side of the hover van in front, a Dwarf walks cautiosly up to the passengers side window, restraining a large doberman dog on a leesh. The dog is currently smelling the ground furiously and glancing up to the car every few seconds.

As the dwarf gets to the windo - only his forehead can be seen. The sounds of some machine buzzing is heard and the dwarf slowly elevates to eye level with the metamorphed Arven in the drivers seat. It is clear he expects the window to be rolled down so he can speak to him.

The dwarf has a long gray beard, and hair. He is wearing heavy battle armour, but the helmet is on his back - along with an axe, and a rifle. He also has two pistols at his waist. Judging by the scars on his face and the marks on his armour - this little man has seen alot of combat. Or he is just ugly and too poor to buy good armour...

The window already down Arven sticks his head out and peers down at the dwarf. "Exactly what in the fuck are you guys doing? Goddamn circle of nincimpoops is letting every kinda demon and shitheel monster run loose in the streets and you got refugees from everywhere pouring in here like this is some kinda haven and you guys are hassling people who can read the writing on the wall that are trying to get the fuck outta here? That is some bullshit and you can get that slobbering fucking mutt away from my sister-in-laws car or I will neuter his ass." Arven peers back meeting the dwarfs gaze trying to look every bit as dour and grumpy as the dwarf himself.

The dwarf stares back at Arven, he ignores his ignorant rants.

"Just try something with the dog... see how your day goes from there shit head. Move along..."

The van ahead pulls ahead through the gates, and the dwarf moves away from the window to meet the car behind. ANother guard is already at their window.

At the gate, a psi-stalker and 2 gargoyles stand to one side watching over the vehicles as they advance. A Rahu Man covered in weapons and plated armour walks up to the drivers' window, but makes no attempt to duck down to look inside. He waves his hand to a booth controlling the gate - but before it opens the psi-stalker and his gargoyle companions start walking over. With his right hand out informing the booth to wait the stalker approaches the passengers' window and leans inside the vehicle.

"Good day sir! State your business."

He leans in closer and speaks quietly, while the gargoyles crowd together outside blocking anyone else from seeing inside.

"Okay now listen to me carefully. It just so happens I can tell there are three people in this vehicle. Now I assume you must be hidin them for a reason... so before I ask why, you may want to provide me and my friends a reason why we shouldn't."

Arven gives the stalker his crooked goofy grin which is not nearly as impressive given his current average looking human face. "Because you and yer shitheel friends would be the first motherfuckers to die of course." The gunslinger says through gritted teeth. He lifts his elbow slightly which is sitting casually on the frame of the door where the window is rolled down. Beneath the crook of his arm are the two barrels of the sawed-off shotgun. Given the proximity of the Stalker it would likely be aimed right about at his throat or upper chest.

Arven has spent alot of time studying people, at least as much time as he has killing them. Almost everytime he gets into a fight he knows whether or not he will win. He knows that this is not one of the times that favors him. Not even in the least. He hopes he can appeal to the Stalkers own survival instinct though.

"Im just fuckin with ya Whitey go ahead and take the damn thing and let us get the fuck outta here. It is a TW popgun, shoots fireballs, worth a shitload. Besides that you might could meet up with us outside of town a bit and get some real work, the profitable kind. Course looks like gate duty is a pretty good racket. Or you can rat us out and we will get killed but not before we kill your ass first."

Cautiously he turns the small shotgun around so that the pistol grip is facing the Psi-Stalker offering the bribe to him properly.

The stalker grins and takes the gun from Arven. He tips his head and replies "pleasure..."

He pulls his torso back out of the car and replies again "Sorry for the delay sir, go about your business. Move along, move along..."

Arven nods to the Psi-Stalker and eases off the brake allowing the vehicle to cruise slowly out the gates. He extends his arm that is sitting on the window until it is outside of the car. He flips out his middle finger and gives the dwarf and his dog the bird. Once they are clear of the gates he says, "Ya know boys about a month ago I woulda fought to the death to take out them sonsabitches before I gave up my loot. This whole war thing has gave me a new perspective on things. Besides even though that was worth alot there are alot of fuckers runnin round with all manner of shit that we can relieve em' of and most of em nobody will miss. Hell, with that bitch-ass Silvermasque putting a bounty on my head some of em' will come right to us. Anyway first order of business is to get stumpy some new stilts. Fuck going to Freehold that is too damn close and you can bet for sure they will be running those stupid wanted ads across their vid screens. We can try to hook up with Zed and his boys or we can head out and start our own gang. Either way I plan on killin that sack of shit Russian Borg and hooking back up with Lotus at some point."  So whadda ya think boys?"

OOC: Being the paranoid type it occurs to Arven that the brothers might just decide they do not want or need him around now that they are almost clear of the city. To that end he activates one the Armor of Ithan amulets he took as trophies from the dead Altara Warrior Women.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:40, Wed 29 Aug 2007.

"Well money is the first order of business. It will pay for my legs. We could rob some poor bastards... but we may get in deep over our heads...  we could wait for whatever Silvermasque sends after us... or yeah we could try to find Zed. He could provide a salary and help fight off whatver comes looking for us..."

He says as he returns to nomral visibility...

   Dalamar cancels the magic he was using to conceal himself and he makes himself comfortable in the back seat of the vehicle.  He looks over at Caramon, staring a moment at the space where his brother's legs should be, before looking at Arven in the rear view mirror.
   "Let's find Zed - try to hail him on the radio, maybe he's still in range.  Oh and Arven, would you be so kind as to share with us the name of the spell you just used?  You are no mage, so I assume it was some little trinket you're carrying?  I can see magic you know..."

"Yeah its some kinda armor shield used by them naked bitches from Atlantis. I can use it three times in a 24 hour period. I got six of em' Not to mention a Splugorth Staff worth about 150 million credits. So money is not a problem. I reckon you knew that so while we get to the point where we trust each other I also reckoned it couldn't hurt having some magic armor on. " Arven turns around to look into the backseat as the car hovers down the road at a casual speed. "No offense meant but I get awful nervous with people behind me ya know? Specially ones who actually stand a chance of takin me out. Arven turns back around to pay attention to the road and says with trademark cockiness. "Stand a chance from behind when I ain't got my guns on me that is." The Rahu-Man picks up the radio and starts trying channels. "Zed... come in. Im looking for Zed and his rag-tag group of sissified homos...over."

Arven will repeat that message over all the available channels on his radio excluding the channels he knows Pluto Company to operate on.

After a minute or so a voice responds on the Main Tolkeen-wide channel. (Pluto and most military groups use their own channels).

"Who's lookin' for Zed and why."

"Tell him his favorite tetrapod is outta work and wants ta interview for the position that currently belongs to the most hardcore motherfucker ya'll got."

Arven calls out on the radio.

"Yeah... ok... fuck you buddy."

   Dalamar tries to peek over Arven's shoulder from the back seat to glimpse which channel he is using on the radio.  But he can't see it from his current position.  "Stop talking in code, Arven, and just tell him the truth.  Schedule a meeting in a neutral area and get this over with."

"No fuck you cocksucker im trying to not get my ass blown off here by giving ya my life story over the radio. Tell Zed his sisters four armed friend would like to speak with him. If ya blow me off I'll vaporize your goddamn arms and legs ya shitheel. Now where can I meet ya guys at?"

"Rumor has it you are a wanted man. I'll find you. But I suggest you keep on the move."

"I'll probably get rich just lootin the corpses of the sad-sacks that come after me. Anyway if im too hot I understand but lets meet up to do some business real quick-like if nothin else. I gotta couple of buddies here that decided to tag along. "

"I'll find you."

Arven turns and shrugs his shoulders at the two quiet brothers in the backseat before turning his attention back to driving. If he can hit an open stretch of road he will increase speed pushing the hovercar to the edge of safe operating limits.

   "I really don't know how he plans to find us, in fact, I'm a little concerned about that.  But for the time being, I suggest we make our way towards a ley line.  It will make it impossible for any psi-stalkers or dog boys from Tolkeen to follow us and it will give us a bit of a boost in terms of self defense if necessary.  Ley lines will improve your technowizard weapons too, Arven.  Once there, we can relax a bit."

   The emotionless and calculating mind of Dalamar can sometimes sound intimidating, like he could care less about the well-being of those around him.  But fortunately actions speak louder than words and the dark mage is committed to his current companions, friend and family alike.

Driving out of Tolkeen it is not hard to find a ley line so the morphed Rahu-Man does just that. As he drives he chimes in, "Cause the sumbitch is tricky thats how he will find us. The good thing for us is that he is already rich and besides that not as stupid as he looks. I have bounties on my head out west that make that pathetic one Masque put on me look like carrying around money. Zed won't care nothin bout that. He might not want to affiliate with criminals too much if he plans on staying round these parts. But we are small potatos given the big picture round here. Either way he will still deal with us first. Its what he does as best I can reckon. It is the shit he does that I can't figure on that kinda concerns me too.

Arven puts in a huge chaw of tobbaco and works up a big load of spit which he uncermoniously hocks out the window striking a vehicle passing in the opposite direction. "Ley line is fine with me Hoss but really other than my club I gave away the only other magic weapon I had worth a shit. Unless your counting that bigass stupid looking staff with the creepy eyeball in it. If ya are then don't that is purely for trade. Damn thing is worth too much to keep. Being on a line puts me and my guns at a decided disadvantage against mages. Trust me I know I killed me about seventy-two true spell slingers. I don't count them shitheel d-bee mystic types. Anyhow son I hope your up to snuff. Your goddamn brother ain't doing us no good unless we are gonna sit on the road panhandling. Looking at him people might feel sorry for us. "

Arven turns and grins at Caramon as he tries to get a rise out of the legless man.

Caramon just glares back at Arven. Perhaps he is bitter about losing his legs... perhaps he is used to losing his legs... or perhaps the rahu man just isn't funny.

   "Just drive the car, Arven.  I know your social skills are still in development, so I'll forgive the insult to my brother.  We need to work out what we are going to tell Zed.  Assume he already knows about the bounty, cause he'll figure it out soon enough."

"I will definitely sleep better knowing I have your forgiveness." Arven quips and accelerates even faster trying o put as much distance as he can between himself and Tolkeen proper before the metmorphosis spell wears off.

Caramon pushes himself forward with his arms and leans on teh back of Arvens' seat - staring ahead as he drives.

"There... a few miles up ahead a small group of mercenaries... just keep driving straight Arven. One of them looks like Zed. And that Mystic Knight is with them as well. Along with the Madness - that crazy schizo from Pluto Company."


Arven and Dalamar see no such gathering of... anybody... whatever Caramon sees is beyond normal sight.

Arven just nods and maintains his current rate of speed until he can indeed see the people Caramon is talking about. When he does he will begin easing off the accelerator letting the hovercar slow down stopping about 50ft away from the group. Arven will step out looking very odd in his giant-sized poncho tied around his waist with a piece of rope like a dress. The metamorphosis spell is almost spent anyway so with the briefest bit of concentration his skin begins undulating and his body starts gaining size and mass accompanied by disgusting popping and crackling noises. Before even saying hello he makes his way to the trunk of the vehicle to get his guns, gear and staff in that order. Walking over towards the assembled crew he grins. "Afternoon Bitches." He says characteristically and casually tosses the ultra-rare and pricey staff over to the Mystic Knight.


OOC: All of this is void if the situation is some kind of setup etc.

Arven drives up to Zed and his crew. They are waiting by his truck-shop, along with Kelthos' hover car, and several hovercycles. The Madness is with them as well.

Kelthos catches the staff as Arven tosses it, and looks at it before looking back up at Arven.

"Hey. Don't mean to frighten you... one of my guys is a psychic. They can find anybody they want to."

   Dalamar steps out of the hovercar and then gets into the driver's seat.  He moves the hovercar up to the gathered mercenaries.  He's not about to leave his brother sitting alone in the car, fifty feet from everybody and he's also not about to drag his legless torso across the ground.  Dalamar leaves the door open and has one foot hanging outside as he slowly idles the vehicle into a parking spot next to Zed's van.  He rolls down all the windows and steps outside.
   "Greetings again, Zed.  I don't think anyone is frightened, but it is concerning if your psychic can find us so easily.  However, how well do you think your psychic friend can find us a cyberdoc?"

The mystic knight steps closer to Arven. And speaks without emotion from under his demonic mask.

"May I hold onto this? We cannot stay here for long, this is no place to do business. Leave that car here and get in the truck. We are headed to a small village named Vosberg."

"If I was scared i'd be shootin already."Arven says with a wink and then nods at the Mystic Knight indicating he trusts him regarding the staff. "Sounds like a plan to me boss. Got a package I gotta get out." Arven walks over to the backseat of the car and leans in. "Well if you and your brother are coming then come on. I'll carry yer gimpy ass." Arven says to Caramon extending one of his muscular lower arms into the car towards the man.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:52, Mon 10 Sept 2007.

   "No, I'll carry him."  Dalamar moves to the back seat of the car and lets Caramon put one arm around his shoulder.  Dalamar wraps his own arm around Caramon's back and hefts him out of the car.  He staggers over to the truck where he finds a spot to set his brother down.
   Dalamar will also make a point of overcharging his PPE reserves while outside on the ley line before getting into the enclosed truck.  Dalamar will sit beside his brother.

Arven, Dalamar and Caramon ho pin the back of the truck with a shaky looking man. His hand is on fire, and he is staring intently at the flame.

The small group heads off again traveling west. The man in the back doesn't say much - other than his name is "Toast" and has been with Zed almost 5 years.

Zed is driving the truck, behind Kelthos in his hover-car. The Madness, the oversized cyborg : Big Greasy Mac, and a gunslinger of some sort named Dameo ride along side on hovercycles.

Just under an hour later they arrive at Vosburg they are free and clear of Tolkeen and arrive at Vosburg. The vehicles stop and Zed gets out of the truck, walks around and opens the back.

The village of Vosberg is a small farming community with less than 150 people. There is a massive 200 foot long airship parked by the truck as well. It has german and triax markings. The back ramp is open, and a few other battle-ready mercenaries are wandering around outside of the airship.



This message was last edited by the GM at 16:06, Tue 11 Sept 2007.

After the truck doors are open Zed waits for the two men, able to walk to get out. He stands in front of them wearing the body suit of a gladius exoskeleton, and the helmet attached to a small back pack. He is holding a rifle, but is keeping it aimed at the ground.

"There's a few things we need to get clear right away. We aren't thieves, murderers or bandits. I am here to stop those who would destroy Tolkeen and the civilians in her Kingdom. I just don't want Tolkeen putting their rat claws all over my junk, so I stay self employed. I sell guns, Coalition and Quebec to make money on the side. The boys geta cut of the weapons they help bring in. A battle field is a treasure field."

"Now let's get to the credits. I am a wanted man. People are following me everywhere. All of the guys here are. The deal is we stick together. No matter who comes looking they have to deal with all of us. Now I am willing to pay you guys a steady 800 credits per day, plus you can keep what you find, and I will split the profits of weapons you turn in. Any questions?"

   "Can we ensure that there is a chop shop near to one of the places we travel next?  I wish to purchase some legs for my brother.  All of the rest of your conditions are perfectly acceptable."  Dalamar sounds sincere in his request for help for his brother as well as his promise to work within Zed's rules.

Arven does not offer to carry Dalamar again knowing that the mage will stubbornly refuse. He cannot help but admire the mans loyalty to his brother though the only outward display he gives the two is a scowl. He steps out from the back of the truck and the entire vehicle raises up about a foot as its shocks are relieved of his burden. Looking down at Zed he nods affirmatively. "That suits me just fine boss long as we get gimpy here some new legs, i'll pay for em' if need be. I ain't no thief or a bandit proper but I am a murderer. Though killin is usually only a matter of business I do plan on takin out that sumbitch cyborg Silvermasque. I will make sure not to make it anyone elses problem though. Im loyal to your sister so I am loyal to you." Arven spits into the hand attached to his lower right arm and extends it forward to shake with Zed.

Zed shakes Arvens' and the brothers' hands.

"Welcome to the team boys, So you guys need new rides and you need new legs... normally I would take us over to Madtown, but I'm not going that far east anymore... the Coalition will own that area soon. Let's go out west. Get on board the hover station go on in through the cargo bay, the seats are through the door."

Zed gets back in the truck and starts to drive it off towards the station. Toast leans out the back to grab the doors and close them.

Kelthos returns to his car and follows Zed back to the cargo bay. The Madness, and the other two hovercyclists follow inside as well - they all park in designated areas.

Zed's cargo bay is huge. The old medical facilities have been torn out to make room for power armours, hovercycles, crates of weapons and vehicles for the team.

Along the left wall of the cargo bay are his collection of modified Coalition Power Armours. An old SAMAS covered in excellent patch work, this power armour has been through hell. A Glitter Boy Killer, also covered in teh same fine handywork of a master armourer. A Mauler, A Violator SAMAS from Quebec, A Defender JAPE II exoskeleton, and A Silver Wolf Glitter Boy from The New Quebec army.

Along the right side now is his modified truck/store. Kelthos' hover car, a dozen hovercycles, a sleek black boat of some kind, and a CS sky cycle.

He has a wall of ancient weapons next to the door to the seats - it is covered in polished swords, knives, and axes.

The team filters through this one-man door that Arven will struggle to get through to a few rows of seats with straps and buckles. There is an area for, 'larger people' to stand and grab onto straps from the ceiling.

Smith is the only one who does not come aboard with his massive APC and drives along under the hover station.

   For the walk into the hover station, Dalamar won't struggle to carry his brother, instead using a simple spell to levitate him into the air.  He'll control the height and walk with an arm behind Caramon's back to guide him.  Dalamar will silently climb the ramp and find a seat into which he'll place his brother.  Once there, Dalamar will whisper into his brother's ear something brief and then walk over to a kitchen or storage room.  He'll get himself and his brother somme cold water and then find himself a seat as well.  The Dark mage gives himself the window seat and slowly sips the water while looking outside in silence.

The Hover Station is in the air for less than an hour before landing again. Zed takes it down smoothly, just outside of another town.

He walks into the passanger area from the cockpit and stops in front of his team.

"This town here is Sundleton. You boys can find new legs for torso boy there. The rest of you have the day off. I will stay here with the stuff."

Thanatos walks back to the passenger area and sees the new arrivals. Thanatos is a striking man, and has a commanding presence, some(not this group) would find it intimidating. "Not subdued, must be new recruits." Seeing the legless man, he can't help but grimace, even that bothered him a bit, "Sorry about that," he says to the brothers, just before seeing the massive four armed creature, his voice growing with excitement, "Elden, how the fuck did you wind up here?" he smiles in greeting to what he assumes to be his old friend from home.

   Dalamar rises to his feet and helps his brother out of his seat.  Once again, he uses his magic to raise his body a few feet into the air, getting him up to his normal height, and then guiding him forward with one arm.  Dalamar looks over at Arven, wondering if the rahu plans on joining them or not.  The dark mage says nothing however and will keep walking with or without him.

   He will make his way towards the centre of town, the likely location of the local chop shop.  Dalamar will make a quick survey of the place, trying to guage quality by the general appearance of the shop...

"Elden? What the fuck are you talking about? My name is Arven... Arven the Annihilator. You have probably heard of me." Arven sees Dalamar and Caramon leaving the transport and the Rahu-Man just shrugs his shoulders, which is an odd sight for a four armed creature. "Anyway chief nice to meetcha. I gotta go get slapnuts here some new legs." Arven disembarks the craft and catches up to the brothers. Despite his much larger size and stride the Rahu-Man is strangely slow and his pronounced limp looks slightly painful.

"Arven... I knew one of your race, identical to you in nearly every way. His name was Eldin, superb warrior he was. Would you mind if I came along, I hate being couped up on this barge." Thanatos walks slowly alongside Arven, "I have not been here long enough to have heard much, there is so much for me to learn. There are no giant floatring metal barges where I come from. Why is it that you limp? Battle wound?"

"So your saying we all look alike huh? Fuckin racist bastard." Arven gives Thanatos the "Mad-Dog" staredown for a moment but cannot maintain it for long before chuckling. "Elden huh?... Thats weird kinda gives me goosebumps for some reason... Oh my legs, yeah got fucking rocked by one of them Wellington automatic grenade launchers. Motherfuckers hit like a truck. Hit harder than a truck actually cause I have been hit by one of those too. " Arven motions for the man to come along. "This is Caramon and Dalamar. Their in charge of brooding and being all sullen and shit. So where do ya come from up north or something? What are ya doing here with Zed and his crew?

"I don't come from up north... this palce is far more advanced, I fell into this shining blue... hole, and wound up here. Happened upon Zed and his crew, they took me in, I do some work for them. What is a grenade?"

Dalamar and Arven. along with Thanatos take Caramon to the only place in the town of Sundleton that can perform bionic reconstruction. The establishment also performs juicer conversions and M.O.M. implants.

Caramon's legs will cost 85 000 credits each, plus more if any features are added, plus labour the use of the room for 6 hours. In the end the operation will cost 184 600 credits, and take approximately 6 hours. Judging by the professional standards of the facility it is well worth it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:19, Sun 21 Oct 2007.

"I only have just over 60 000 credits... Dalamar can you spare some?" Caramon looks to his brother with a familiar look in his eye; the look of slight consideration of forcing them to perform the surgery for free...

   Dalamar returns his brother's look with another that says playing games now would not be wise.  The pair have a bounty on their heads - these people could overcharge us if they wanted to.
   After stepping back to discuss payment with his brother, Dalamar walks back to the secretary, or whomever, that gave them the price to begin with.
   "Money is no issue, I have plenty.  However, I think it is most fair if we pay half now and the rest when he is walking again.  And if your shop does an excellent job, then perhaps there will be something extra in it for you."

OOC - Dalamar is using his charm to ensure they think he is trustworthy - and wealthy.  Although the fact that he travels in a massive hoverstation may allude to the same thing as well.  Dalamar is also hoping that even if these people do recognize them from some wanted poster, the prospect of earning extra credits

10:39, Today: Dalamar rolled 22 using 1d100. trust.

Arvens eyes narrow ever so slightly but only for an instant. He is pretty good at reading people and he is pretty sure that Thanatos is just telling it like it is. Though what it may be is not entirely clear. "Shiny blue hole, what is a grenade? Are you fuckin with me? What world are you from?" Arven walks along while discussing accidental dimensional travel with Thanatos who despite not looking very friendly at all seems pleasant enough. Dalamar and Caramon, even without his legs are pretty intimidating themselves. Throw in a 13ft tall four armed gunslinger and the small group probably does not have to worry much about people giving them any grief.

Once they are at the chop-shop Arven sits on the floor with his back to the wall and prepares to wait. When the issue of money comes up he says, "If ya need any extra just holler at me. I new this fella back in Silvereno that got his some cyberlegs that would pop his guns out of hidden compartments in the thigh. You should get some shit like that or a built in flamethrower. Flamethrowers are just downright mean."

   Dalamar turns to regard Arven as the rahu man speaks.  His emotionless gaze turns back to Caramon afterwards.  "Brother?  Did you want any upgrades added?"

Thanatos shakes his head in the negative, "No, I am not fucking with you. I honestly do not know what a grenade is. I come from the world known as palladium, I believe you call it technology... we do not have that."

"I will worry about upgrades later... for now I simply want to get back up to 5 limbs..."

Caramon is anxious to have legs again...

Caramon is soon under reconstruction, without anaesthetics or tranquilizers. He has had bionic legs for many years, and the base of the old ones are still attached to his flesh body.

Less than an hour passes, and Caramon still has a while to go before completion, Zed comes in over the radio.

"Yo Thanatos, get back here, and bring the new guys with you unless Caramon is still in operation. Smith never showed up, we gotta go back for him."

"We still got a few minutes to go boss. Want me to wait, or head take Arven and leave the brothers?"

"Leave the patient there, bring Arven and Dalamar."

"Arven, Dalamar, let's go. Zed needs us, Smith hasn't made it here yet."

   Dalamar nods to Thanatos and glances at his brother in the operating room through the viewing window.  The moment of eye contact is all that is required to say "I'll be leaving you here to finish the operation.  I'm just a radio-call away, call me if necessary".
   Dalamar's cold face stares deep into the eyes of Thanatos, waiting for this apparent newcomer to earth to lead the way, since he seems to have taken the responsibility of relaying Zed's orders.

Arven counts on his fingers and then chuckles at Caramons joke. Standing up when he hears it is time to go he leans in and gives the guy getting new legs some shit because as far as Arven knows that is the kind of thing you do when someone is undergoing serious reconstructive surgery. "You hang in there champ ya hear. Just think of all the lonely young gay men that would be devastated if you didnt pull through. Not to mention unmolested livestock. Doc you take good care of our boy!" The giant guffaws and ducks out of the shop before Caramon can find a firearm or something sharp and pointy within arms reach.

The crew meets up outside the hoverstation at the back, with the cargo-ramp still open and Zed standing on it with is rifle in one hand.

The entire crew is here except for Smith and Caramon.



Zed's Crew

Kelthos - Mystic Knight
Big Greasy Mac - Imprimer Cyborg
Bodokhan - Brodkil
Eliott - Juicer
Toast - Burster
Dameo - Psi Slinger
Heinrich - Manhunter Cyborg
Zeig - Lanotaur Hunter
Morton - Psi Stalker
Thanatos - Psi Slinger
Lars - Cyber Doc
The Madness - Master Psychic
(Smith - Armorer)

Arven
Dalamar
Caramon
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:05, Fri 02 Nov 2007.

From about half-way down the ramp the leader of this small mercenary company calls out like the General of an Army to his crew.

"One of our boys didn't make it here. I can't contact him at all. Smith is my friend, and I know this means he is in danger, if he is not already dead. We are about to suit up and go back for him. If he is dead, we find the mother fuckers responsible and paste their sorry asses. If he is alive, he is probably being held captive. In which case we paste them all and break him out. Don't wait for them to talk, just shoot. My motto has always been, when the enemy starts negotiating... shoot him in the face."

Zed puts on his helmet and jogs into the cargo bay to suit up in his power armour of choice.

Kelthos begins to walk up the ramp, turning back to Arven he asks "How much did you want for the staff?"

   Dalamar walks up the ramp and stands in front of Zed.  The already-tall mercenary leader towers over Dalamar as he stands a few feet lower on the ramp.  The dark mage just stares up at him with his usual emotionless eyes.  "So we drive there, shoot the bad guys, and bring Smith back dead or alive.  Sounds simple enough.  I am a magic user by the way, a line walker to be exact.  I wouldn't presume to point out flaws in your plan, so please just let me know if you have any need for my talents - in addition to my trigger finger, that is."

   Dalamar will move past Zed and find a seat inside if he has no further instruction for the coming mission.

"I don't know magic very well. Tell me what it is you can do, or just do what it is you do when we get there. And we aren't taking the station... do you need a ride?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:27, Fri 02 Nov 2007.

   "If you need me to move faster than my two legs can carry me, then yes, a ride would be required for this mission.  As for my magic... my specialization would have to be stealth and infiltration, although I am fully capable of waging a battle as well.  And if we happen to be on a ley line, everything is enhanced.  I guess thats about it, but to be honest, I'm not much of a braggart.  I prefer to let my actions speak for me.  I'll just do what it is I do."

   Dalamar stands near Zed, waiting to be directed to some mode of transport.

"Good. Take one of the hovercycles from inside. They are by the truck"

"Ya damn tootin." Arven says after Zed gives his spiel about shooting negotiatiors in the face. The Rahu-Man hopes up onto the hover platform to find a suitable place to ride along. Looking over at Kelthos he says, "I ain't a big fan of jawin and negotiatin and all that shit. Twenty-Five Mil is fair. I had it appraised twice in Tolkeen and that purty much falls right in the middle. It don't have to be all credits mind. Im all about trade equivalent as well. My boy Dalamar needs him some good spells and what not too so I am sure you can do him up proper that away and deduct the magic learnin from the cost.  Long as everything is square we will be square. Capeesh?"

   Dalamar was on his way to choose a hovercycle when he heard Arven talk about buying him some spells.  "Whats with the sudden generosity, Arven?  Not that I don't appreciate gifts, I just wouldn't want my acceptance to be misinterpreted."
   Dalamar makes no effort to keep this little issue private, hoping it can be resolved quickly.

"You'll owe me plain and simple. Either you are the honorable sort and that is good for me. If your not then you will skin out but you havin some good spells while we ride together is still good for me. Either way I win."

Thanatos waits quietly while the talk of credits and trades are discussed, "Perhaps we should hurry, the longer we wait the more likely something has happened to Smith."

"I'll give you fifteen million credits right here. I am a mystic... I do not teach spells, or learn spells from a trainer."

Kelthos moves towards the armored truck that Zed often uses as his mobile gun shop. "Get in" he says to Arven whether they have finished their deal or not.

"Fine... Twenty it is then." Arven says as he gets into the truck finding a spot that will acommodate his size.

"Done" Kelthos tosses the Rahu-Man a cred-stick with 20 million on it. He gets in the drivers' seat, while Arven gets in the back of the armored truck. Arven will be able to fire from the back or hop out at his convenience.

OOC: Does Arven have access to the weaponry that Zed has on board the vehicle? i.e. the missile rifles he gave the man? He is going to be a "Indian Giver" :P

Making a mental note to pay Zed or at least have his wages garnished in order to pay for the two CTT-M20 missile rifles the Rahu-Man removes them from where they are fastened down on a shelf. He cradles the weapons lovingly in his four arms like they were precious infants. He cracks a couple ammo crates and immediately begins sliding mini-missiles into the breach loading one full of plasma and the other with armor piercing. He takes his shadow cloak off folds it neatly and places it in his satchel which he stores in the now nearly empty ammo crate. He checks and rechecks his guns, eclips, forcefield and other various charms.

As the truck rumbles along he thinks of Lotus and wonders what she is doing right now. He thinks of Silvermasque and how he would like to make him hurt before he kills him if it is even possible to make a cyborg feel pain. He even wonders for the briefest of moments about the dumbasses who detained Smith. Those poor bastards are gonna die horribly. He doesnt mind really, afterall murder is what Arven the Annihilator does best. It comes simply and without effort kind of like breathing. His conscious thought fades into the zone and he becomes a single minded killing machine. Normally that is the case anyway. Currently his thoughts wander back to Lotus and a sudden flash of worry comes over him. He shakes his head and tries to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Pull your head out and quit being a sap. It's time to go to work.

Madness too seems reflective, though a closer inspection shows his brain activity has in fact slowed to a crawl. He had just been following along, letting Zed do all his talking, taking it in on a subconscious level. With the vehicles starting up now, a spark deep inside him ignites, then all memory of taking orders in Pluto company and nearly losing his life are filed away, and his new mission fills his mind. He goes over his mental checklist, and when all his weapons and gears are ready he mounts his hovercycle and starts the ignition.

_{"Always forward -- in this way we survive."}

OOC: The Madness is my hero  :)

Zed blasts out of the hover station in his flat-black Heavy SAMAS power armour and maintains an altitude of approximately 200 feet the whole way towards Smith.

Mac follows below along with The Madness, Dalamar, Bodokhan, Zeig, Eliott, Heinrich, Lars, Morton, Thanatos, all on hovercycles and Kelthos and Arven in the armored truck.

Dameo and Toast stay back to watch the station.

As Zeds' crew comes over a hill half-way back to Tolkeen Smith is visible. His APC is parked and he is chained to the front with no armour. The hilltop is a mile away from Smith and his APC.

"Kelthos - ride right at him with me, the rest of you spread out and come at the APC from both sides. These guys are just hiding - but they will come out. I promise you, we will all be standing over one of the bastards begging for mercy in less than 5 minutes."

Thanatos smiles a sadistic smile, "Zed, do we keep any alive for questioning... or torture..." the last bit only spreads the smile all the wider.

"Torture? I didn't know I was travelling with sadists."

Thanatos chuckles, "Not a sadist my friend, simply the most effective way to get information I have found, unless we drug them, which is also good."

[ Mac, The Madness, Dalamar, Bodokhan, Thanatos all swing left.

Zeig, Eliott, Heinrich, Lars, Morton all swing right ]

Obviously they want us to charge right in and that is exactly what were doin. Hell yeah now thats my kinda fucking plan. Arven thinks to himself. "Lemme give these motherfuckers a nice big target to shoot at." The Rahu-Man yells up to Kelthos while pulling out an obscenely large plug of chewing tobacco. He bites off half of the sticky mess filling one giant sized cheek making it look like he has a cantoloupe in his mouth. He then pops the back hatch and scrambles out of the vehicle halfway up on to the roof using his lower set of arms to get a good grip while his legs wrap around the ladder. Reaching down with one of his upper hands he flips a switch on his belt. The only sign of the Naruni force-field is a low hum of power. Only having two arms available to him he decides to play it smart and draws just one of the missile rifles from his back. Thinking that whatever dipshits kidnapped Smith might have a sniper waiting to pop Smith, or anyone else, Arven adjusts his multi-optics goggles using the telescopic vision feature to scan the horizon looking for a target. If he finds one he will not hesitate to fire multiple volleys at the bastard(s).

OOC: Psionic power activation - Mind Block

As Zeds' crew spreads out and comes at the APC from three sides, several people come out from hiding. Eight in total; six are human-sized, one is a Greot, and the last is a Glitter Boy. They all dash for cover and open fire on Zed's team. Smith is still strapped to the front of his APC.

One climbs to the roof of the APC, another three take cover behind the APC. The greot uses the Glitter Boy as cover, who stands in the open.

The remaining two vanish from sight.

[Initiative please : Arven, Dalamar, Madness, Thanatos]
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:20, Sun 02 Dec 2007.

The Madness 'rolls initiative' in his head.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:50, Sun 02 Dec 2007.

"Fuck a Glitterboy." Arven says through clenched teeth as he aims at the walking tank using its boomguns his bullseye. He depresses the trigger on his CTT-M20 just as the vehicle bounces over a slight depression in the road and the four missiles streaking out go wide and though they may hit something they definitely are not going to hit their target. The same can be said for close to half of the crazed Rahu-Mans shots as he sprays mini-missiles at the shiny power armor form the back of the bouncing ATV as fast as he can pull the trigger. Five volleys are away before the first rifle is empty and he slings the thing down into the ATV drawing the other from his back and snaps off three more volleys for a total of 32 missiles sent down range in about fifteen seconds.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:23, Sun 02 Dec 2007.

The Madness' eyes widen at the flurry of missiles. "WAIT! Take out scaley one, but leave the Glitter Boy to me...." He can't help sounding sinister at his last request.

OOC: As shitty as Arvens shots were the Glitterboy is likely in no danger of much more than tkain minor damage and hopefully keeping him from accurately shooting for a melee or so. 12 of the missiles though are plasma and have a 15ft blast radius each so the Greot will likely get nice and warm at least and hopefully take some shrapnel from the exploding armor piercing missiles as well.

Thanatos moves towards the left and backside of the APC, trying to get the few who ran that way.

The Madness speaks to god:

The Madness continues to circle around behind the mercenaries, with one hand rumaging in his knapsack.


Several of Arvens' missiles stream past the APC, a couple explode into the side of it. Smiths' unarmoured body shakes in the blast but is unharmed...

The glitter boy is hit with several missiles and is brutally tossed to the ground after firing twice at the incoming truck. One shot blowing a hole in the windshield and narrowly missing Kelthos. The greot and two of the others are in the blast radius of the missiles when they explode on the glitter boy. The two human-sized mercs are knocked off their feet, the greot however... barely flinches.

Thanatos sprays his targets with blasts of energy from his hands, as The Madness yells into the radio for Arven to ignore the glitter boy. The rest of Zed's crew opens fire with him. One of the hostage takers is shot in the head and collapses, and another falls after his left leg is disintigrated.

Zed concentrates his fire on the greot, hitting the beast in the head twice and several times in the chest and shoulders. The reptilian D-Bee is pouring blood from a dozen holes, but continues fighting.

Suddenly, the truck is sent into a violent tumble as it speeds down a slight hill towards the APC. The front wheels are torn off and remain stuck to the dirt, while the rest of the vehicles tumbles down the hill. The truck spins vertically three times in the air before the front end crashes into the dirt and Arven is sent flying towards the aggressors. The glass is shattered and the front end of the truck is demolished. Any normal human would be dead... Kelthos has survived worse however...

At the sight of the Rahu Man, all of the mercs turn their fire on him ignoring the rest of Zed's crew. The six able fighters open fire relentlessly on Arven, as he is sprayed with rail gun rounds, energy blasts, grenades and boom gun rounds.

The Madness moves closer from behind the group, opposite of Zed, Arven and the demolished truck.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:10, Fri 28 Dec 2007.

A few seconds pass by and the fight is over. Allteh assailents are dead, save for the glitter boy pilot, whom has been released by the powers of The Madness. The pilot kneels in front of Zed's gathering mercenary group.

Arven and The Madness recognize the pilot as Arthur, a former member of Pluto Company. The pilot is not scared, but he is quiet, awaiting his likely interrogation.

None of Zeds' crew was seriously injured. Arven, Thanatos and The Madness gather around the pilot, then make way as Zed approaches in his SAMAS.

"You fucked up hoss." Arven says and spits a large viscous wad of tobacco juice on the kneeling mans shoulder. He turns and walks back to the crash site to retrieve his missile rifles. "Nice drivin slackass." the Rahu-Man quips to Kelthos as he walks by.

_{"Power armor AND a victim. Such luck we are having today..."}
The Madness steps into the Glitter Boy and it closes again. He immediately begins using Telemechanics to get familiar with it. Reprogramming the voice-activated lock to respond to his voice. Then he shoves the barrel of Arthur's own boom-gun in his face, allowing him to smell the freshly fired barrel. "I can promise you you'll wish the missiles got you, because now I've got you, and I've been told that's a hell of a lot worse."

Arthur watches Arven, until the boom gun is in his face. "Fuck you" is all he says in response.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:59, Thu 24 Apr 2008.

Thanatos smiles, standing beside Arthur, "Oh Zed, I have way of getting information from people like him." at this point it looks, to any who would notice such things, that tiny arcs of electricity run down Thanatos' arms to his hands, then disappear.

Zed takes off his helmet, then walks directly up to Arthur and picks him up by the collar of his shirt. Zed is normally 6'5 when he is not in his SAMAS, and lifts the man off the ground and places him on his feet.

"You know what I am gonna ask, but I gotta ask it anyway. Who sent you?"

Arthur stares at Zed, then looks to Thanatos, and then to the much larger Arven. "A borg sent me. A big one covered in the skin of some white tiger or something. Goes by the name "Mask" or something.

Arven guffaws loudly. "I was gonna kill that donkey fucker anyway." The  Rahu-Mans smile fades and he pulls out his knife, which is nearly the size of a human broadsword. He stalks towards the nearest dead body and kneeling down he decapitates it cleanly. Moving along he continues this grisly ritual, stuffing the trophies into a burlap sack, until Arthur is the only one left with a head. "Well podgimoto if Zed wants to kill ya then I suppose i'll be adding yer ugly mug to the bag here. If not then I got a job fer ya. I need someone to deliver all these heads to Silvermasque."

Thanatos laughs at Arvens display, "You sadistic bastard... I like your style."

Zed's lip curls at the sight of Arvens' 'ritual'. "He can deliver your message."

Zed walks over to the truck to ensure it wasn't damaged too badly from the carpet of adhesion.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:04, Wed 07 May 2008.

Arven takes the bag of heads and zip ties it closed. "Alright shitsack heres the skinny. If ya give me yer word you'll deliver these heads to that piece of trash borg then I'll give ya a thousand credits for yer effort and best of all let ya live. Take the money and start gearing up to have another go at me for all I care though I will bust yer ass all the same with or without all this backup. Oh... and if you go back on yer word i'll find ya and shoot off all the shitty little bits that stick off yer pasty ass before I gut shoot ya and leave ya fer the buzzards.

The Rahu-Man scratches his chin for a minute and looks over at Zed. "Hey boss what do you guys got planned fer the next couple of weeks or so anyhow?"

"Ok... I'll do it. Do I get my GB back now or later?" He asks to anyone listening, but is looking at The Madness who is aiming th eboom gun at Arthurs' face.

"Planned? nothing in stone. Gonna head west for jobs that dont involve Tolkeen and the Dead Boys. Got a few buddies in Hope. This Masque fucker gonna cause trouble?"

The Glitter Boy replies "You'll get it back when you shave your mustache and stop looking like a faggot! Now take your sack of heads and your still beating heart, and get the fuck out of my sight."

"guess it's later then..." He does as suggested, and grabs the heads and starts walking East towards Tolkeen.

Arven watches Arthur go before walking over to where Zed is standing. "This piece a'shit Mask is the kind of fucksack who won't let up. Way he looks at it I robbed him of a couple million creds. Way I look at is he can go fuck his mother. Either way I don't mean to bring any heat down on yer outfit here and I would like to stick with ya. Never been one fer joinin groups but I am loyal to yer sister so as fucked up as I know that sounds I am loyal to you too. Im thinkin I need to go kill this muthafucker and get it over with. Whadda ya think boss?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:36, Thu 15 May 2008.

"You're good to have around. Go kill this guy and then come back. I'll keep your spot open."

"Yep." Arven says and walks over to gather his things from the vehicle. Stopping near Kelthos he reaches into his pocket to grab some of the Talismans he carries. "To do this thing right im gonna need to get these recharged but more importantly I need to be able to turn into a human just like that morph spell I got but for a lot longer period of time. What I need is a magic amulet that allows me to change whenever I want for as long as I need and I also want to get a couple more of those fancy bags that allow me to store items in another dimension or whatever the hell it does. Can you do that or at least point me where I need to go to buy such a thing?

"I do not have what you are looking for Arven. Head to a higher class magic shop and you will find what you need. I would suggest avoiding Tolkeen however. If you go west, to Hope and the surrounding area, you will find what you seek."

Caramon walks over to Arven, with almost no sign of trouble walking on his new bionic legs. "Arven? If you can afford the help, my brother and I will go with you. We aint got anything better to do, and could use the money."

   "Certainly you will need a discerning eye when you go shopping for that list of items you just mentioned.  I'm certain I could assist in that respect."

"I have nothing in this world, except myself and you all, so if you have some spare coin, I would lend a hand as well."

The Madness watches the overwhelming support for the cause and finds himself muttering:
_{"Fuck, I'd do it for a couple fusion blocks and the chance to torture that pasty-faced, psi-stalker faggot."}

"Well goddamn! Sure why the fuck not. Kinda changes my plan of infiltration and ambush but shit you guys are all pros at what you do so we can come up with a hell of alot better plan. Shit we still might be able to get back on the squad in order to pull this caper off. Only one really wanted by the law dogs for sure is me. I can buy something to make me look human and we can say that Zed kicked us all to the curb or some shit and came back to find some work. Either something like that or we have to figure out a way to isolate him from Pluto Company because taking all them head on would just be fuckin retarded. Only one thing you have to agree to and that is that Masque is mine. Im gonna be the one to put his sorry ass down. Anyway lets get our asses to Hope. Anyone got a ride?

Arven looks around trying to figure out what they can do for transportation until they get somewhere they can purchase some.

"Oh and as far as money goes I suppose I can offer ya the same thing Zed did for now anyway. 800 credits a day plus you can keep any loot you come across. Not that we are going scavengin or anything. Also I will give ya a 10,000 credit bonus per kill of any motherfucker stupid enough to side with Masque that ya take out. When we get to Hope the gear and the drinks are on me. If that ain't square then ya can go suck each others dicks."

"Actually my brother is wanted as well, for the magic shop incident... I am not sure if that extends allthrough the Kingdom of Tolkeen or just the City itself..."

"I can take you boys as far as hope, I am heading there anyway. I will give ya one of my long range radios as well, to take with you."

Zed and his crew pack everything into the hover station except for the APC, which Smith drives out... (with some extra protection this time).

"Sounds good lets get goin." Arven says with a nod to Zed. Turning to Caramon the Rahu-Man adds, "Yep yer right but then I am betting that "attempted" murder of an army officer is taken more seriously than theft but no need for us to be careless. I am gonna go into Hope using talismans to morph me into a human. Problem is they don't last all that long so we will need to get to a good magic shop and start wheelin and dealin real quick like."

"Perhaps if we pulled off your additional arms you'd blend in better."

   "Magic illusions are more powerful than your psychotic delusions my friend.  A simple metamorphosis spell will easily take care of any out-of-place appendages."  Dalamar enters Zed's hovership with his arms folded across his chest under the black shadow cloak.  He looks up at Arven.  "When we get to Hope, did you want to do the shopping?"

Caramon follows his brother and new employer into the hover station, and takes a seat next to Dalamar,restinghis massive rifle between his legs. "If you are wanted in Hope as well Arven, why don't we go elsewhere in Colorado, or Arizona?"

"Yesss, but nowhere near as permanent..." He says this with a spit bubble in his throat. Perhaps he has begun salivating a touch at the present conversation.

Still in the Glitter Boy he drags his hovercycle back to the hoverstation and loads it in. He finally exits the suit once he is on board and begins making some alterations to the interior, while muttering to himself on a variety of subjects.
_{"Delusions...hardly diluted...heir Arthur I presume...it is later now, here you are, mwahaa! yes...must see the rocky mountains one of these days..."}

"Im wanted all over the Colorado Baronies and throughout the Pecos Empire so Hope is probably a pretty safe bet. News dont travel so fast in wartime and either way I can use my amulets to change my appearance as long as we get to a mgic shop and find what we are looking for quick like." Arven takes a small bite off the huge plug of tobacco he is carrying and it settles into the space between his lower lip and gums. Since he is inside Zeds hover station he opts to just swallow the juice rather than spit it out. Turning his attention to Caramon he replies. "Shit no you are in charge of gettin us a good deal. I have dealt with them fuckin mages and I know how slimy they can be. The ones that runs shops anyhow."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Wed 28 May 2008.

Zed's crew leaves the battle site and dead bodies behind, making their way tyo Hope City, Colorado.

Soon enough they are arriving at the city's vehicle bay and exiting into the city streets. A city that is home to over 52 000 inhabitants. Mostly humans, but includes a large psi-stalker and fennodi population as well, among other d-bees. It is a place of magic, built directly on a ley line with a nexus on the north edge of town. The streets are crowded, conventional vehicles alongside techo-wizard vehicles and horses. The skies are filled with TW-boards and sorcerors, using the ley line to fly. Some buildings are 8-stories tall, others are designed like massive paddleboats that float along the ley line, such as gambling ships, buses, and large shops.

A large video screen displays a picture of Baron Jeseph Midgard, the 'owner' of Hope. The face on the screen speaks "Welcome to Hope City. Remember, we must learn from history, not repeat it. We are a city of peace, a city of hope. So you are reminded that no weapons of any kind are permitted into our streets. Please take this moment to store any weapons back in your vehicles and allow our honourable law enforcement search your persons for concealed contraband. You have my sincere apologies, but I assure you my city is violence free, and you will not require weapons."

The several police officers approaching are not armed with guns at all. Just neural maces. However they are wearing light armour, adorned with talismans.

   Since Dalamar's weapons can't exactly be removed, he doesn't mind the restriction, although he knows his brother and Arven might be slightly more disturbed.  Before the guards arrive, Dalamar turns to guage their reactions to the rule.  The dark mage is unsure about Thanatos and Madness and how they will react.

Caramon grunts, and heads to the lockers inside the bay area. He removes his massive long-range rifle, a smalelr blaster rifle, several pistols and knives and a few grenades. He looks back to Dalamar, before slamming his locker shut and putting the key in his pocket.

Thanatos, having no real possessions has no problems with the weapons being left behind. All he had on him were the credits Zed had paid him...

PM

and a reply PM

Arven sneers at the police much as he does at any type of authority. "Ain't that just fuckin dandy! You crapsack mages can shoot lighting from yer cocks and shit fireballs but I can't keep my goddamn guns?" All four pistols spring out of their concealed holsters and into his hands in a way that is not entirely non-threatening though he keeps them pointed more or less in the air. The Rahu-Man spits out the large wad of tobacco that had been in his mouth on the ground in an overtly disrespectful manner. "Buncha fargle-knockin bullshit!" Turning around he walks in and deposits all his weapons inside a locker next to Caramons.

Since he is weaponless anyway he decides to use the metamorphosis talisman he is carrying to make himself look like a human so that on the off chance some old wanted poster is hanging around or he is in some damn database that he will not get caught in a fight without his guns. Grabbing a greasy jumpsuit off a hook on a wall  he zips it up over his naked body and exits the vehicle carrying only his talismans and credits. Nodding to Dalamar he says, "Alright Nancy lead the way this is your world, im just shittin in it. I wanna make this a quick trip so lets go buy some magic crap and get the fuck outta here. A vehicle or two would be pretty damn swell too unless ya'll wanna get some horses."

   Dalamar gives Arven a cold stare before looking around at the panorama of the city before them.  It shouldn't be too difficult to discern where the market area of the city is located, so Dalamar will lead the way in that direction.  He is looking for a higher-end shop that might deal in the level of magic being sought by Arven.

Zed hands Arven a thick black briefcase, "It's a long-range radio. Use it to get in touch with me, or my guys when you are done your hit. Good luck buddy."

He turns and walks off down the street with Kelthos and Smith.

Arven, Dalamar, Caramon, Thanatos, and The Madness head in the other direction in search of a high-grade magic shop. After 26 minutes of walking a one-story shop is found called The Dungeon. Two massive, 20 foot statues stand on either side of the entrance, they look as though they could come to life in a moment. A tall wolfen, dressed in mystical, plate armour steps out just as the group arrives. He looks at all five, then nods at Dalamar, before stepping to the side and crossing the street.

Inside is rows upon rows of shelving units filled with talismans, weapons, TW devices, potions, scrolls, etc. A strong, sulfur-smelling breeze brushes past the group as they begin to peruse the isles of magic items.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:39, Sun 15 June 2008.

"Do your thing Dalamar." Arven says walking along checking out the wares and trying to get used to his new, smaller, human perspective.

   Dalamar looks for whatever means of indexing the merchandise in this shop is using and spots the mystic symbols carved in the wooden shelves.  He notes the symbol for healing and regeneration next to the potions for that purpose.  The symbols for fire and pain mark the placement of weapons capable of firing various mystic energies while the symbol for war denotes the ancient style weapons such as magic swords and daggers.  Dalamar first seeks out the symbol for dimensions, or possibly the one for travellers to find the mystic bags of holding which Arven seeks.  He also keeps an eye open for the symbol of transmutation or illusion which may indicate items that would suit his purpose of disguise.
   If he can find these items, he will casually peruse the stock, looking for items of higher quality as are required by the rahu-man.  Meanwhile, Dalamar also keeps an eye open for the symbol for darkness or invisibility as such concealment magics might also be useful.  Besides, Dalamar has an affinity with the darkness and shadows...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:56, Fri 27 June 2008.

Caramon wanders over to the desk where the only visible employee stands reading a book, next to a mystic-styled credit-transfering machine. He leans on the desk with one elbow, then pulls an apple out of a pouch on his waist and bites into it. Apple juice run down his chin as he smiles at the gray-haired elf at the cash machine.

The elf does not return a smile, and quickly gets back to reading his book, seemingly not concerned in the least about what Dalamar, Arven, Thanatos and The Madness are doing in his store.

Dimensional pockets/bags are displayed along the wall of one of the aisles. The larger and more powerful bags are over a million credits. Small pouches are no less than 90 000.

Metamorphosis talismans are available as basic 'transformation options' (human male, simvan female, etc.) They range from 1 million to two million depending on the power of the enchanter. A sign explaining that talismans to morph into specific people are available at the front desk. It displays a price tag of 9 million credits.

   Dalamar is almost instinctively aware of his brother's activities, taunting the clerk, or owner as the case may be, but focuses on the schmorgesborg of mystic artifacts before him.
   "This is not going to be cheap, as you can see from these tags.  For the bag of holding, the more expensive ones should last longer than the cheaper ones, but none will last forever.  My guess would be several months to several years, so just pick one with an opening large enough to fit your manhood and the interior will accomodate.
   For your new body, I'd recommend something more familiar.  If you know how to act like a female Simvan then be my guest.  Honestly, I would think another of your own race would suit you best, but I don't see one here.  They might take a custom order though.  The durations of these transformation amulet's aren't listed here, we'll have to ask the clerk and hope he knows his head from his ass."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:52, Sat 28 June 2008.

"No I want a human male. Good looking one too...just cause. Anyhow only one duration I want and thats permanent as long as im wearing the damn thing. I know they got em' knew a guy from Juarez that had one." Arven looks over the bags and grabs one large enough to store his assorted weaponry in. Handing it over to Dalamar he adds. "Just find out how much weight it can hold." Looking over at Caramon he says, "Hey nancy why doncha quit mad-doggin the fuckin guy that is settin the prices round here ya dumbass."

Thanatos will wander the shop looking for means of protecting himself...

RETRO-ACTIVE:
Madness complies with the no-weapons policy. He did love his explosives but he had enough natural weapons locked inside his demented little head. Besides, concealed within his armor he had a few standard chemicals with which he could fashion a small bomb if one was needed.


IN THE STORE:
The Madness steps up beside Caramon and asks the clerk: "Sorry to be a pest, but does the superior invisibility negate after only an attack causing bodily harm? Or anything, like for instance, disabling someone's power-armor or their mind? And do you have a toilet?"

"Well if permanent ones exist, who am I to assume you were mistaken. However, this particular store does not appear to carry them. You have the funds to pay for this equipment?"

The elf responds with an unsatisfied look "It is not an offensive spell. It is a difficult spell to cast, and even more difficult to maintain. It is impossible to remain invisible while your mind commits to an act of aggression. And no, we do not have a washroom."

Caramon looks back at Arven and speaks while apple juice and small chewed peices hurl towards the ground. "I am just relaxing while you ladies shop for your perfumes and pretty little ornaments."

He then turns back to the elf, reaches inside the pouch on his waist and offers another apple, this one green, to the clerk.

Arven screws up the corners of his mouth in a frustrated, semi-angry grimace. "Nah im just gonna rob the fucker like you would." Walking up to the counter Arven clears his throat and asks in his best attempt at politeness. "Sir you got any magic trinket that will let me turn into a human permanent. Like this piece of shit does." He slaps the Talisman up on the counter. "Problem with it is that it wears off too damn fast."

The elf responds rather plainly "nope."

The Madness sees many things.

PM

Madness blinks.

PM

"Well if you could point us to someone in town who has one or can make one of them on short notice we will show our appreciation by spending some credits in your store." The strain of being polite is actually beginning to show of Arvens features.

   "Perhaps there is another solution to this dilemma." Dalamar speaks as he walks up to the counter, hoping the shopkeeper will understand his notion as he continues.  "Many a mystic device operates with a series of charges per day, granting the user a limited number of activations of the energy held within.  No single artifact alone could hope to sustain a metamorphosis indefinitely, but perhaps using several devices in conjunction would suffice.  While one is in use, the others are recharging.  It is just a matter of calculating the number required based on the duration of each charge and the number of charges available."
   Dalamar takes the apple his brother was offering to the clerk and glances at him to make sure its not drugged or something before taking a bite.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:38, Thu 03 July 2008.

The elf looks at Dalamar, unimpressed with his appaernt clever idea, and watches as he bites into an un-poisoned apple. "Yes, you are correct my friend. You will need to purchase more than one talisman. I could probably give you a deal." By the end of his short answer, he is looking at Arven.

So you can make a magic item that can be activated two or three times in a twenty-four hour period that automatically recharges itself? Because that is what I need not some fuckin piece of shit Talisman with three charges that will just run itself out. Im about tired of those goddamned things. Bunch of worthless ass lazy wizards runnin a racket is all that is. So is that what you are just a lazy ass wizard or do you got something I can use?"

Arven looks alot less calm at this point. Probably all the strain of trying to be civil.

"I can create these items. I will provide you with techno-wizardry. The item will be anarticle of clothing or jewelry such as a belt, or a medallion, and it will contain charges, to provide the magics you desire. This will take some time, you will have to come back tomorrow morning to pick it up, and it will cost you. An item such as this would go for at leasta million credits... but I will give it to you for 850 000."

The elf is still as calm as before.

Arven relaxes considerably at the mans words. "Sounds good. Oh... wait, will the thing be able to function for a full twenty-four period? If so and you can make into an item that is not completely ridiculous looking I will give you 900,000 for it."

   "I think there will be multiple items, no?  If that is the case, wearing a dozen medallions would look truly odd.  Perhaps they can be built into e-clip casings?  Ironically, that might look far less suspicious if worn in a standard bandolier..."

"Techno-wizardry utilizes the power stored in crystals and gems. A medallian with several of these gems, or a studded-belt will do the job. The power is in the jewels, so in a way it is more than one item, I am just incorporating them all into one larger item. I can fit probably 10 charges in this item, each able to last three hours. 850 000cr will be fine."

Madness vaguely listens but is off perusing the store for his own interests.
_{"Coooold weather...keep the fire going..."}

PM

Madness's eyes widen. "I almost have enough..."

He walks up beside Arven.

   "I may not have had the patience and technical skill to study technowizardry, but I have a lot of respect for the art.  I think your price sounds fair, but paying it could deprive us of some other critical pieces of equipment we still need to purchase.  Would I be able to suggest a side deal, between yourself and I, to trade some spell knowledge.  Perhaps if the spell-trading went in your favour, we could get a reduction on the price of the device?"

15:20, Today: Dalamar rolled 36 using 1d100. invoke trust.  (only needed less than 88%)

"That is definitely possible... what spells do you know?"

   "I know many, what type are you most interested in?"

OOC - passed another roll to make him trust me :)

"The very rare, perhaps spells from other continents... if you are intending on trading me your pocket wizard tricks... then you will want to go find credits to complete this sale..."

   "Pocket wizard tricks?  What kind of salesman are you, insulting customers."

"I do not mean to be insulting sir. However I can tell you are but an infant in your craft, and I am a master. I believe there is little spell knowledge if any at all that you could extend to me... I may be wrong however..."

"It would definitely be easier if you were to lay out a list of your spell knowledge for me to peruse... rather than me spenidng the time to make a list of spells you have never heard of..."

   "I'll not deny being young in my craft, you have a keen eye.  But I plan on living a long and fruitful life.  Before long, the gap between us will shrink substantially.  Eventually... who knows what could happen.  But for now, I would be willing to trade either Deflect, Domination or Call Lightning if they are not already known to you.  None are the rarest of magics, but neither are they the most common."
   Dalamar looks at the man with his typically emotionless face.

"...again I do not try to sound insulting... but I learned those spells before you were born my friend." An elf need not try to be insulting, they have a natural talent for it.

   "Do you know dimensional portal?""
This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Sun 13 July 2008.

"I do not..."

Arven looks at Madness and gives him a nod indicating yes. He waits until Dalamar and the elf are done bartering but regardless of how it turns out he says. "Make it happen."

   Dalamar turns away from the elven technoqizard for a moment.
   "Arven, a word with you outside?"  Dalamar will then lead the disguised rahu man outside and all the way across the street where he will speak very quietly.
   "I need three days to complete the incantation transactions with this man.  Can we wait this long?"

Three days sounds good. Gives us time to get some shopping done. We'll need a vehicle or two and some weapons. We'll need a place to stay that is big enough to accommodate my full size since these talismans will wear off in a few hours. Thanks for getting us a good deal.

   Dalamar walks back inside with a smirk on his face, a rare event for the dark mage.  Appr the elven technowizard again, Dalamar attempts to wrap things up.  "We have other errands to take care of while in town.  I will be back in two days to work with you on the dimensional portal incantation.  That should give you plenty of time to complete the device.  We will complete the payment upon receipt of the device and completion of spell trading.  Agreed?"

Madness chimes in, "Also I will take one of these armor talismans. The 3 times daily model."

Thanatos nods, "I like that line of thinking. I would like to see about one of those as well."

"Agreed" is the elf's response to Dalamar, and "You have 600 000 credits as well?" to Thanatos.

   Dalamar turns to leave and mentions to Arven that he'll be available on the radio if needed.  He gives his brother a look, letting him know that he's about to spend the next couple days doing "boring mage stuff" and that he's free to go off on his own if he wants.  Caramon also knows that he is welcome to join him if he wants as well.
   Before leaving the shop, Dalamar will ask the elf for a small favour.  "Can you recommend an inn in town with private access to a ley line?"

"There are plenty of hotels in Hope, but for Ley Line use, you can rent rooms right on the ley line to do whatever you wish in a small lounging room. Come back at sunrise in 2 days, or anytime after if you are the late riser-types..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:21, Fri 18 July 2008.

   Now armed with all the information he will need, Dalamar decides it is time for him to leave.  Dalamar turns to the others present.  "I have work to do.  Call me on the radio if you need me."  He glances at Caramon to see if he cares to join him on his magic studies but simultaneously gives him a look that lets him know it won't be very exciting and that Dalamar doesn't actually need him around for the next while.  If Caramon chooses to join him, they will walk off together, if not then Dalamar will remain alone.

   Dalamar will go shopping for enough food and drink to last himself  the two days and then find a place to work.  He is hoping for a hotel room on the ley line where he can bathe, eat, and work without any outside distractions.

Caramon nods at Dalamar as he is leaving, but remains at the store with Arven, Madness, and Thanatos. While watching Dalamar walk away he speaks out loud to the rest of Arven's crew "Well... what are we doing for the next 2 days?"

(The sun will set very shortly...)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:17, Sun 20 July 2008.

OOC - This thread is 9 days behind the main platoon threads. Arven, Madness, Dalamar and Caramon were members of Pluto Company this morning...

"We need vehicles for sure. At least one big sumbitch that can fit my ass when Im not transmogrified or whatever the fuck you call it and a couple of hovercycles or some shit, whatever you jackasses want. We need to inventory our armor, weapons, ammo and explosives. We'll need to stock up on all that shit. Remember I ain't no fuckin bank so we'll need to look for good deals. No offense to spanknoodle here but magic weapons are mostly shit in my experience. The only ones that are superior to normal tech cost in the multi-million credit neighborhood. The ones that are comparable in range and power will cost ya at least ten times as much. So fuck that noise go with Wilks, Coalition, Triax or Naruni shit if ya can find it."

With the business in the magic shop settled Arven starts for the door giving the elf behind the counter a respectful nod. Once out in the street the metamorphed Rahu-Man points in the direction they entered the city.

"Im gonna head back yonder and get some rooms in that big ass hotel we passed. Any building that fuckin tall has got to be about the best place around. Couple of penthouse suites ought to do us right. Caramon since your bro is off doing his magic thing I want you to be in charge of securing the vehicles. Madness and Thanatos ya'll are on weapons and ordnance. Don't worry bout creds right now just shop around, find the goods, work out the deal and we will pick all the shit up on our way out of town. You guys can seperate or go together I don't give a shit. Ya can all go give each other reach-arounds as long as ya get the shit we need. Feel free to drink, gamble and whore around all ya want just don't get thrown in jail. I will catch ya'll back at the hotel."

The two days pass mostly uneventful, and Dalamar is finished his work. Caramon has found a used Trailblazer ATV (with no special abilities) with a modified gunners' nest big enough for Arven, and two other gun-nests, for Thanatos and Dalamar going for 800 000 credits.

(assuming Madness will be in his glitter boy...?).

Madness and Thanatos find several good stores for weapons and ammo, and also brought back a mercenary they ran into.

(what weapons? how many e-clips do you guys want?)
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:36, Sun 20 July 2008.

"The name's Troy. I am gonna burn out any day now and I gotta go out fightin'. So whatever you're doing, whoever you're killing, I'm in. Just need enough cash for food, other than the necessities you get me for free boss."

The Mega Juicer is ready to go with his own Desert Fox hovercycle, and arsenal of weapons and grenades.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Sun 20 July 2008.

The Madness spends much of his time sleeping, as if mentally preparing for the coming battle. During the day he sends his astral self out into the field to follow the squads of Pluto Company. He awakens every hour and a half to make some notes on the map as to their location and what they're up to.

[OOC - I'll have a full report, but I have to figure out where they're at presently, which is also going to mean synching the two threads up at some point. Either way, with enough time astrally projected, travelling at immense speeds and passing through all matter, I should be able to keep abreast of their activities.]

At some point he will hit up the shops for supplies, including:

 Boom Gun Rounds (as long as I have around 100 shots)
 E-Clips x 4
 Ghillie Camouflage (for the GB)
 Camo Tarp/Netting (vehicle sized)

Before leaving he also intends to find some nearby lake, river, swamp or marshland and get the Glitter Boy as dirty as possible, encrusting it with mud and dirt. The bright chrome is too much of a giveaway.

PM

Madness will also perform psychometry on the Glitter Boy to locate Arthur.

PM

Arven looks down at the suicidal maniac in front of him. "Can't say no to that. Just don't try to fuckin' cross me else I'll blaze you down, you pig-tails wearin' faggot."

Arven climbs up the newly acquired Trailblazer and takes his seat in the main gun nest.

Caramon chuckles at Troy, and glares back at him when Troy tries to intimidate. The hunter then climbs into the driver's seat in the trailblazer, waiting for Dalamar and Thanatos to take the other turrets.

"Don't worry about that. I'll see you all in the afterlife. If there is one..."

Troy coasts his hovercycle next to Madness' dirtied-up Glitter Boy and waits to set out... to wherever they are setting out too...
This message was last edited by the player at 03:45, Wed 23 July 2008.

_{"What universal design would be so cruel that it would let you live again after dying once?"} he asks rhetorically, looking into the sky.

After his investigations he reports to Arven, "Boss, I have a location on the Arthur. I can follow him with my astral body to the Tiger-Borg. Once they meet up I will have a definate location."

   Dalamar is ready, he looks a bit haggard and pale, but otherwise he is the same black robe-wearing mage as before.  He gets into the missile-gunner's seat next to his brother.  He glances at but doesn't acknowledge the new juicer among them.  Once they are underway, Dalamar will explain a few things to Caramon.
   "Brother, this past couple of days has left me weary, but they may perhaps have been the most profitable couple of days in my life.  I have learned a new ritual that might have the potential to change everything.  Tonight, when we rest, I will complete the ritual and you will see.  I have found a way to steal the power of an otherworldly creature - a demonic entity from beyond the rifts.  The power will be contained in a vessel, some kind of small animal as I understand it.  This will grant me access to many levels of power I wouldn't otherwise be able to reach.  But there is a risk.  The vessel I summon could break free from my control and attack.  I will need your assistance, please.  Just in case."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:41, Wed 23 July 2008.

"Anyway I can..."

   "Thank you.  This animal is supposed to be no bigger than a dog, so it shouldn't be more than you can handle, but I'll be there too, of course."

   Dalamar pulls out his radio, hesitates for a moment and then follows through with his idea to call up The Madness.  "Madness, can you tell how far behind this Arthur we are?  I'd like to know how long a trip this is going to be..."

PM

Thinking...

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:52, Thu 24 July 2008.

The Madness replies on the radio. "The cunt Arthur is in Tolkeen. He is awaiting the return of the Tiger Borg. Are we going to strike when he's in the city?"

"Fuck no and we ain't gonna strike when he is clusterfucked up in there amongst all those Pluto Company shitsacks either. This deal might take more than a few days but we need a plan and a good time to strike. Im thinkin some shit over but if any of you knuckleheads have any bright ideas I am open to hearing them. As long as they end with me and that cocksucker in a showdown I will be happy."

   "We should locate them first, with our own eyes and not just the mindmelter's 6th sense.  Arven' your new toy would enable you to walk right up to Silvermasque and shake his metal hand without him suspecting a thing.  You might be able to actually rejoin Pluto Company as a mercenary, under an assumed name of course.  The rest of us could stage a diversion at an agreed time, possibly leading to you being left alone with your target.  Or almost alone... This plan would depend on your skills of charm and deceipt however."

"If they have a psychic as good as Madness they will see right through his facade..."

   "They would know he has active magic.  Half of Pluto Company has active magic most of the time.  That woman Lotus, the shifter Mephisto... Infiltration through metamorphosis magic would not be impossible, otherwise our dear rahu man just wasted a shit load of money."

"Silvermasque aint the only one out for him either... all three of us have bounties on our heads put out by Tolkeen...  it's up to Arven... but I say it's suicide..."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:19, Thu 31 July 2008.

"Nah... I been runnin, gunnin and hidin from the law most of my life. That ain't easy to do when your 13ft tall with four fuckin arms either so give me a little credit. I got mind powers of my own. Use em' all the time I just don't brag about it. I can even go into the Spirit World like crazy ass over there and as I am sure he can tell ya I can't be read neither. I most always got my mind blocked off to that kinda bullshit. Anyway I was thinkin along them lines but if we can find them and a better opportunity presents itself then we will jump on it. Otherwise that is pretty much why I spent enough credits to make myself a human permanently if I wanna be. Most of the reason anyhow."

   "Although dim-witted, they have a psi-stalker among them, Na-wa if I recall his name correctly.  There are also other mages who are trained as I am to recognize enchantments.  It is these people who you must be able to fool.  There are some enchantments which would logically last for days and you could easily convince the psi-stalker that you were using one of them.  However, the mages will not be so easily fooled.  One of them will recognize that you are using metamorphosis, although there is no way for them to see through the magic and know who you are, to my knowledge.  So you would need a valid explanation for using metamorphosis magic all the time.  You should claim to be a dragon who prefers to live as a human.  You may need another metamorphosis device to transform into a dragon at least once to sway any fears about your true nature, ironically.  This may seem convoluted, but I think it should work."

"Why not wait for them to leave Tolkeen? Much less risk... much less fellow soldiers to help metal-pussy...  maybe send in Thanatos, who isnt a wanted man, and wont be spotted by Silvermasque to keep an eye on them. Then we can hunt the big cat..." A grin creeps across Caramon's face "It's been so long since the last great hunt..."

   "Yes, better to take him in the wilderness than in a fortress for sure."

"I aint wanted neither. I can go into Tolkeen with this guy here to scout out this 'Borg."

"Good I will go with you in my new disguise. If I get a chance then i'll kill Puss in Boots and be done with it. More likely though we will need backup and that is where the rest of ya come in. If we are on the inside we can more easily set up some kind of diversion or ambush at a key time if we need it."

   "Can we leave now?" Dalamar sounds slightly impatient over the radio.

"Yes, let's. Keep sending us your position and we will tail you. If you can get someone alone and bring them to me I can take over their body, rig it with explosives and create a proper diversion."

Madness will go with Dalamar and his brother in the GB suit.
_{"Over-theatrical, maybe, but effective, GOD yes..."}

Arven and his hired team of cut-throats set out, with Troy out front on his hovercycle, and The Madness on foot next to him in his stolen Glitter Boy. Behind them is Arven, Dalamar and Thanatos as gunners in the Trailblazer, driven by Caramon.

They ride together leaving the City of Hope, and head for Tolkeen.

They ride west of Tridel Forest and only encounter simvan just before leaving simvan territory. Caramon spots them first...

"There are a group of them ahead, about ten miles... There's a half dozen dinosaurs, with riders, and maybe ten more on foot... They are surrounded by large boulders... probably a bunch of the fuckers hiding behind the rocks..."

Caramon keeps driving until Arven says otherwise.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:26, Sat 09 Aug 2008.

   "Ah Simvan, the gentle boyscouts of the wilderness.  Anyone want to make new friends today or should we maybe think about riding around them?"  The sarcasm in Dalamar's tone over the radio is obvious.

"Simvans are assholes. Fun for sport, but if I listen to my better reasoning, it says there is larger game ahead. Focus. Yes, we SHOULD go around them."

The Glitter Boy marches on.

"Boyscouts? Fun for sport? Clearly you boys haven't met the same Simvan I have... They are savage cannibals... and masters of their domain..."

"I say we drive right for them and open fire as soon as we are in range."

   "Yes, let's follow the suicidal juicer.  How about the new guy shuts his face until he proves himself."

Madness shakes his head, disappointed. "Some people don't even CARE how they die."

"Give them a little space. No need to waste ammo on the fuckers. Drive us out so they have to come to us if they want some shit." Arven pulls a missile rifle out from the floor of the turret he is standing in and gets it set up in a firing position.

Caramon nods, and follows Troy and Madness in an attempt to go around the Simvan while they are still 8 miles away... However, the Simvan move along with them. If Arven and crew intend on heading East, these Simvan intend on stopping them...

   "Ummm... they're moving to intercept.  Can't we just go faster and get past them?  They're riding dinosaurs for god's sake."

"Of course we can try... Troy and Madness move over to the North side and watch for more Simvan. Everybody else keep your eyes open... we are probably already surrounded..."

*Note - The crew was traveling East, until the Simvan were spotted, then the group turned north to try to go around. After some time, they will be able to pass the Simvan, and move East again, out of their range. Provided no others show up.

   Dalamar incants the words to a couple of spells, enchanting himself in preparation for combat, should it occur.  He feels slightly out of control sitting in the missile-launcher compartment, unable to make much use of his magic.  But he trusts his brother to drive more than he would trust himself.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:20, Tue 12 Aug 2008.

Caramon put us in the best position to hit them bitches in front of us without gettin bushwacked from all sides. Soon as we are in missile range open up on their punkasses and make em wish they was never born." Arven readies his missile rifle and prepares to fire as soon as the laser range finder on top turns from red to green.

Madness had picked up his run, trying to get ahead of their position by heading north. "If we're going to fight I need to dig in. Can't exactly shoot on the run in this thing, and I'm not getting left back on my own."

Madness will not stop running unless the ATV stops as well.

PM

As the Trailblazer circles wide of the oncoming Simvan Arven will take aim with his missile rifle and shoot at the ones closest to him. Sending volleys of four missiles each time he shoots until one missile rifle is empty, changing targets with each shot. Afterwards he will empty his second missile rifle before pausing to reload them both.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:41, Tue 19 Aug 2008.

Assuming Caramon stops the vehicle, Madness swings his boom gun around while driving the pilons into the ground. He takes aim at groupings if he can, places where he might hit more than one if the slug continues to travel after dropping the first one. He acquires a new target with each shot, getting areas where the mini-missile explosions have not obscured his shot. He is careful with each shot placed, which unfortunately doesn't stop the first shot from missing its target.

"Strike:
01:05, Today: The Madness rolled 14 using 1d20+9.
01:05, Today: The Madness rolled 14 using 1d20+9.
01:05, Today: The Madness rolled 28 using 1d20+9.
01:04, Today: The Madness rolled 18 using 1d20+9.
01:04, Today: The Madness rolled 24 using 1d20+9.
01:04, Today: The Madness rolled 11 using 1d20+9. - Miss"

"Damage (x10 applied)
01:10, Today: The Madness rolled 60 using 3d6.
01:10, Today: The Madness rolled 50 using 3d6.
01:10, Today: The Madness rolled 100 using 3d6.
01:10, Today: The Madness rolled 120 using 3d6.
01:10, Today: The Madness rolled 130 using 3d6.
01:10, Today: The Madness rolled 140 using 3d6. - Miss."

   Dalamar is glad for two things.  First, that his brother is in the driver's seat.  He trusts no one else to take him into combat.  Second, that he is housed safely inside the main body of the vehicle and not presenting himself like a target in one of the external weapon pods.

   The controls of the technowizard vehicle are simple enough and he quickly fires off a full volley of eight.  His target is not the Simvan, but the massive T-Rex closest to them.  Dalamar plans to injure the creature severely and hopefully startle the others into a stampede away from their owners.  After the volley is fired, the launcher retracts inside the main body of the vehicle for Dalamar to start reloading it...


09:54, Today: Dalamar rolled 17 using 1d20. missile strike #1.
09:56, Today: Dalamar rolled 32 using 8d6. missile damage. (x10)

Troy doesn't fire yet, he rides in with the rest of them.

Arven does yell out for Caramon to stop but only long enough for everyone with long range weaponry and missiles to get off a few quick shots. Then he has him take off again and and retreat a bit before stopping and doing it all over. Rinse and Repeat... The idea is not so much to get away but to keep them at bay long enough to whittle their numbers down to shit and take all the fight out of them before they get close enough to even return fire with standard small arms.

The closest tyrannosaur is hit by a volley of missiles from Arven and then from Dalamar, blowign both the creature and its' rider to pieces. A second T-rex and both Triceratops are hit with volleys from Arven cripppling them, and the Simvan infantry are cut to pieces by The Madness, shredding two or three with each blast.

Arven hits the dinosaurs again, obliterating the heads of the triceratops, and obliterating the second t-rex. And The Madness cleans up all but three of the Simvan on foot.

The remaining Simvan flee for their lives.

Madness's glee is insulated by over 700 MDC. Still it can be felt in his voice as it quivers with a repressed laughter.
_{"Masters of their domain..."}

Stupid motherfuckers... Get us back on track Caramon. You see any more of them varmints just holler and we will give em' hell again." Arven lets the barrels of the missile rifles cool down before reloading them again. Reaching into the folds of his Shadow Cloak he pulls out what seem to be a ridiculous amount of missiles. It is obvious magic is at work within the garment.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

After a short but expensive display of fire works, the remaining simvan flee for their lives and Arven's team moves on towards Tolkeen. They pass by the obliterated bodies of the dinosaurs and the mutilated corpses of the simvan on their way. Nothing large appears to be salvageable... a few personal items or small arms may reamain among the corpse-pieces.

Soon they are out of Simvan territory and shouldn't be bothered by them again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:29, Sat 30 Aug 2008.

Night comes quickly and the group is faced with the decision of setting up camp or riding through the night, and arriving at Tolkeen just after sunrise.

The surroundings are mostly just open grasslands, with scattered forests and trees. A massive black dragon flies overhead just a few hundred feet away and takes a look at the group as it passes by. An obvious sign that they are closer to Tolkeen...

Arven decides to ride through the night and forego sleep. Just before sunrise the sounds of war are heard ahead. Just a couple hundred miles from Tolkeen is a major scale battle between the forces of Tolkeen and the Coalition Army. Thousands of soldiers battle it out spanning several miles of land. Arven is forced to turn back, or go around...

Arven calls for a halt. "Lets find a good spot to hole up for a bit. Camouflage the vehicles, eat something and get a little rest. Then we can skirt around this fracas when it starts to wind down. Maybe we can loot some fuckers." Trusting Caramons ridiculous vision to pick out the best spot to park he decides not to micro-manage the entire affair.

A suitable place is spotted by Caramon a few miles away from the ensuing battle. Arvens' group sleep in shifts as usual for traveling, and Caramon heads out early to check if the battle continues.

Just minutes later he returns to report.

"There are still small skirmishes along the lines, but it looks like nobody is moving. There are thousands of coalition troops less than 12 miles from here."

"How many thousands we talkin'? Two or twelve?" Troy asks while popping his morning breakfast, which today includes a small bottle of pink pills.

"More than two, less than twelve... eight or nine thousand is more accurate... What does it matter? Would you charge two thousand?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:41, Sun 21 Sept 2008.

"Depends... I might after these pills kick in..."

The group moves wide around the battle, moving east for twenty miles, then north for five before a suitable spot to rest at the mouth to a large cave. Once the vehicles are parked Caramon, Dalamar and Troy waste no time in grabbing their weapons and heading into the cave to make sure it isn't dangerous. It is just after 0300 hours...

   Dalamar is eager to explore the cave, Caramon knows that even as a child Dalamar enjoyed the darkness.  It was one of the few things that brought him pleasure and peacefulness.
   he dark mage walked to the rocky edge of the cave, apparently able to navigate his feet over the rough rocks with ease despite the darkness.

"This spot looks good. Caramon and Thanatos you guys make sure the vehicles are camouflaged and then go find out if we have any company anywhere close. Madness, really do you have a fuckin name I can call you other than that bullshit? You go ghosty or whatever, check the spirit world and all that shit. I need to get used to acting more human. The Rahu-Man morphs down to human size and quickly puts on the proper sized clothing. With his oversized weapons stored in the ATV he straps on a couple knives and heads into the cave to catch up with Dalamar. The darkness does not seem to be an issue for him either as he nimbly picks his way over the uneven terrain, he is also as silent as an assassin. "So whadda ya think podge?" He whispers to the mage.

   "I think its a cave."  Dalamar responds as he continues walking forward, staring straight ahead.  His voice is quiet, as if to avoid disturbing the silence of the hole.

Madness answers sharply, "No. At least my name means something."

He does as Arven says though, from within the comfort of his GB which he parks by the camoflauged vehicles, dons his ghillie camo, and shuts down power to. He relaxes and begins his meditation.

PM

The madness returns to report the cave is empty, and the others report there is nothing of concern near by. As soon as the vehicles are camoflauged it is safe to head inside the cave to rest.

"We need 2 on watch at a time. Troy and Madness are up first, wake up Dalamar and Caramon in 4 hours."

Madness parks his GB in view of the opening. It remains relatively inconspicuous in the darkness with its camouflage. Still, knowing the mind of the operator makes the large power armor all the more menacing. It stands still, pylons in the ground, gun aiming forward. Outside of occasional pans with its boom gun, the GB doesn't talk or move for 4 hours.

If his watch is over, Madness will step out of the PA and sleep at its feet, leaving the armor in the same position.

Even though The madness only slept half the night, he was still the first to rise in the morning...

Morning came, but it was barely brighter than the night. An immense thunderstorm had moved overhead during the course of the night, and now for as far as anyone could see, even Caramon it was raining under thick black rain clouds.

There is no telling if this storm is natural or magical in nature, but it is uncomfortable nonetheless. Fortunately the trailblazer is designed for off-roading so it should be able to handle the mud with very little difficulty.

Troy is second to wake up after a short sleep and quickly makes his way to a small ledge a few hundred feet off the ground above the cave. There he stands on the very edge, with his arms spread wide, and his mouth open to catch the rain drops.

After several moments, and the rest of the group has waken and started gathering their things, Troy leaps from his perch and slams into the wet-ground face down. He lies there motionless for just under a minute before picking himself up out of the mud and wiping the muck from his eyes. he spits out a wad of bown sludge and speaks, revealing a mud-stained grin.

"We leavin' now?"

Madness has everything ready to go by the time everybody gets up. He gnaws on tasteless rations. Like a kid accustomed to fast-food, he seems perfectly capable of functioning with only these meager nutrients. He takes a multi-vitamin too, which compensates for the scant breakfast. He fills his cup with rainwater to wash it down.
_{"The orange pill keeps us healthy. The pink one keeps us from hurting ourselves, but it hinders our psychic potential. Not a good trade."}

He mutters to himself much of the morning. While the Mega-Juicer conducts his morning routine, Madness stares at him, expressionless. "How long until you die?" he asks bluntly.

Troy looks to Madness, without taking offense, "I should be dead by now... according to the juice-docs I should have burned out 3 months ago..."

Troy stands to his feet, covered in mud and makes his way to his hovercycle.

"Fuckin-A Boy! Im gonna find ya a blaze of glory to go down in you betcha... Shiiit if un' I dont and ya start to feel the burn and want to go down shootin just  holler I will dance with ya." Arven takes a swig of tequila and then puts in a big chaw of tobacco. "Goddamn breakfast of champeens. Alright you faggots lets move out!" The Rahu-Man makes his way to the trailblazer only stopping to piss on the big knobby tire before getting in.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Sat 04 Apr 2009.

Thanatos has a quick meal before joining the others as they leave the area, "Forgive my ignorance, I am new to this world, what is a juice-doc and faggot?"

"Well hop on into the vehicle and I will learn ya some gooder American little man." Once Thanatos is aboard and the group is off Arven says, "Well Mr. Backwater ass-sack once you figure out how slow ya really are your faggot squishy-ass will be headed to the nearest Juice Doc for a boost... Capeesh?" Arven spits a big wad of tobacco on the floor mat of the Trailblazer. "Provided ya live long nuff course... which looks highly unlikely from where im sittin."

Thanatos smiles at the giant four armed man, "Speed, good yes. Precision is better. Surprise the best. I have ways to remain alive other than going to a juice doc. You prefer ranged combat, I choose close quarters if I can. You really shouldn't insult everyone you meet. It will only hurt you one day. Let your prowess in battle prove your better, not talk. talk means nothing."

Arven leads his group towards the battle from last night. All that is left is a field of dozens of destroyed robot vehicles, thousands of dead soldiers from both sides, scattered debris of power armours, Iron Juggernauts, skelebots and other war machines. There is no sign of life anywhere other than the crows enjoying their feast.

The group slows down next to a CTT-P40 rifle laying in the dirt...

Thanatos notices the crew slowing down next to a particular rifle, "Guys, is that weapon special?" he surveys the carnage and laments the fact that he wasn't here to add to it in some way, "Perhaps we should see if the one you seek is amongst the no longer functioning, Arven."

"Not as special as you Thanatos," Madness states while scanning the battlefield.

Thanatos looks over at Madness, "What?"